Prince William's 'touching' letter when my navy dad died

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are hosting a party on Saturday for children who've lost a parent in the armed forces.

The event at Buckingham Palace is a way, the palace says, to honour those whose mother or father have died fighting for their country.

Jamie Molyneux is going with his younger brothers and sister. Their dad Lt Cdr Ian Molyneux was killed in 2011.

He says it's "comforting" to know they haven't been forgotten.

"The Duke of Cambridge wrote to us soon after my dad was killed," Jamie tells Newsbeat.

"It was very touching. He said he understood what we were going through as siblings, with his experience losing his mum Princess Diana."

Jamie's dad was murdered by a junior member of the navy while on board a nuclear submarine.

He received a posthumous George Medal for his actions in stopping others from being killed.

"It had been on the news but by some miracle none of us had seen," Jamie remembers, sitting at his kitchen table where a picture of his dad takes pride of place.

Aged 13, he answered the front door to a naval officer and a naval chaplain.

"If you see a priest and an officer, it's generally a bad sign.

"I had two choices to make. I was either going to go off the rails and end up in prison or accept what's happened and do the best I can."

Jamie has followed in his dad's footsteps and is beginning a military career.

He passed out of Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College in Leicestershire last year, earning the award for best naval cadet.

Jamie is at Loughbourgh University studying engineering for his naval career

Six years after his dad passed away Jamie is still "very much" the big brother to his younger siblings, and helps support his mum Gill.

"We still talk about dad a lot," Jamie says. "About all the stupid things he did with us when we were younger.

"That's the main way we keep his memory alive."

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