Prince William arranged for Deacon Glover, 11, who lost drug addict mother to meet football hero


Prince William arranged for a grieving schoolboy to meet his football hero in a VIP trip after bonding with the 11-year-old over losing his mother. 

Deacon Glover, 11, from Burnley, lost his mother, Grace Taylor, 28, on January 15 2021 after she was found dead by her partner following an overdose on heroin and methadone, as well as prescribed medication. 

Last month, the Duke, 39, and Duchess of Cambridge, 40, spent about 15 minutes talking to the schoolboy during a visit to Church on the Street in Burnley, a centre that helps people struggling with poverty, homelessness, addiction or other problems.

During the visit, Prince William, who lost his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, when he was 15, told Deacon ‘I know how you feel’ and ‘it gets easier.’ 

Meanwhile the royal also bonded with the boy over his football strip, which featured the name of Nick Pope, asking if he wanted to meet the Burnley goalkeeper and adding: ‘We’ll see what we can do.’

It has now emerged that the Duke arranged for Deacon and his family to have a VIP visit to the football club last weekend, where the youngster met with his hero Pope.  

Prince William, 39, arranged for a grieving Deacon Glover, 11, from Burnley, to meet his football hero Nick Pope in a VIP trip after bonding with the 11-year-old over losing his mother

Prince William, 39, arranged for a grieving Deacon Glover, 11, from Burnley, to meet his football hero Nick Pope in a VIP trip after bonding with the 11-year-old over losing his mother 

During the visit last month, William chatted to Deacon about football before he promised the youngster to see if he could arrange for a trip for him to meet the goalkeeper. 

The Duke leaned over to him and asked: ‘Would you like to see Nick Pope, yeah?’ 

Deacon and his family watched the game in the director’s box where they met with club chairman Alan Pace. 

The 11-year-old then met with Pope, with the pair chatting in the stands at Premier League Burnley’s Turf Moor stadium before walking together on the pitch. 

During the visit last month, Prince William , who lost his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, when he was 15, told Deacon 'I know how you feel' and 'it gets easier'

During the visit last month, Prince William , who lost his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, when he was 15, told Deacon ‘I know how you feel’ and ‘it gets easier’

He gave the 11-year-old his gloves as well as the shirt he wore for the match, signing it with the message ‘Never Give Up’.

His grandmother Carole told the Burnley Express: ‘Everyone was so welcoming to us, they really couldn’t do enough for us. It was a special day, one that we will always remember.’

She said watching Deacon meet his footballing hero had moved her to tears, while Pope also encouraged the youngster with his own sporting achievements.  

Local pastor Mick Fleming, who helped facilitate the initial meeting with Prince William and joined Deacon yesterday, said the encounter would be ‘life changing’ for the boy. 

Deacon lost his mother, Grace Taylor, 28, on January 15 2021 after she was found dead by her partner following an overdose on heroin and methadone, as well as prescribed medication

Deacon lost his mother, Grace Taylor, 28, on January 15 2021 after she was found dead by her partner following an overdose on heroin and methadone, as well as prescribed medication

He said: ‘This is going to be life changing for Deacon. This will help him to break the cycle of life that’s been around him.

‘This was something so special, and I think what the prince has done has given him hope for the future.

‘It’s phenomenal, what he has done, as it’s not just meeting a footballer, it’s a lot, lot deeper – it will help him.

He added: ‘The prince has followed through with everything he said in the conversation that he had with him. He has honoured it, and that’s amazing.’  

The Duke arranged for him and his family to have a VIP visit to the football club, where the youngster met with Pope (pictured)

The Duke arranged for him and his family to have a VIP visit to the football club, where the youngster met with Pope (pictured) 

Pope gave the 11-year-old his gloves as well as the shirt he wore for the match, signing it with the message 'Never Give Up'

Pope gave the 11-year-old his gloves as well as the shirt he wore for the match, signing it with the message 'Never Give Up'

Pope gave the 11-year-old his gloves as well as the shirt he wore for the match, signing it with the message ‘Never Give Up’

At an inquest at Accrington Town Hall in July, Coroner Richard Taylor told how Deacon’s mother Grace had been taking drugs with boyfriend Sean Hargreaves in a separate room before he found her body and was unable to rouse her.

According to the Lancashire Telegraph, Sean tried to contact Grace’s grandmother Carole and went to her house for help, before returning home and calling 999.

A toxicology report revealed Grace had potentially fatal levels of heroin in her system as well as methadone, mirtazipine, olanzapine, cocaine and amphetamine.

During the visit last month, William, an Aston Villa fan, chatted to the 11-year-old schoolboy about football, but the youngster, who was wearing a Burnley shirt, seemed unimpressed at first.   

Deacon's grandmother Carole said watching Deacon meet his footballing hero had moved her to tears, while Pope also encouraged the youngster with his own sporting achievements

Deacon's grandmother Carole said watching Deacon meet his footballing hero had moved her to tears, while Pope also encouraged the youngster with his own sporting achievements

Deacon’s grandmother Carole said watching Deacon meet his footballing hero had moved her to tears, while Pope also encouraged the youngster with his own sporting achievements (left and right) 

Deacon and his family watched the game in the director's box where they met with club chairman Alan Pace

Deacon and his family watched the game in the director’s box where they met with club chairman Alan Pace

‘He thought it was a footballer coming here so he was gutted when he found out it was William and Kate,’ one volunteer at the centre said.

But gradually he became chattier, as William asked him about Burnley’s prospects and pointed out that his father, the Prince of Wales, had come out as a supporter of the club after directing some of his charities to work in the town.

‘I only found out a few years ago that my dad is a Burnley fan,’ he said.

He told Deacon and his great-grandmother that he hoped his own children would follow him in supporting Aston Villa. ‘I need to spread the love a bit,’ he said.

After spotting the youngster's football strip, William told him he would 'see what he could do' about arranging a meeting for Deacon to meet his hero

After spotting the youngster’s football strip, William told him he would ‘see what he could do’ about arranging a meeting for Deacon to meet his hero 

Deacon Glover, 11, lost his ‘vivacious and caring’ drug addict mother who lived a ‘chaotic life’ after she overdosed on heroin last year 

Grace, an amphetamine addict, was said to have lived a ‘chaotic life’ with a a record for unruly behaviour and periods spent in-and-out of prison. 

Deacon has been open about his grief on social media, recently posting on Facebook a photograph of his mother and writing: ‘Not a day goes by where I don’t miss you. You’re always in my heart  .’

Drug addict Grace had lived a chaotic life, with periods in and out of prison. It is not known if Deacon lived with her. 

In 2014, a court heard that she had been banned from grandmother Carole’s home because of her conduct.

Then 21, she was arrested on a Burnley street after she was found with a large bread knife tucked up the right sleeve of her onesie after sending threatening texts to a woman in a dispute. 

According to an article in the Lancashire Telegraph, she had sent messages to the woman that morning saying she was ‘going to go round and ‘bash’ her.’  

Her defence argued she was ‘crying out’ for long-term supervision and assistance. 

She was spared jail by Judge Beverley Lunt, who told her it was the only chance she would be given.

Grace, an amphetamine addict, was said to have lived a 'chaotic life' with a a record for unruly behaviour and periods spent in-and-out of prison

Grace, an amphetamine addict, was said to have lived a ‘chaotic life’ with a a record for unruly behaviour and periods spent in-and-out of prison

Instead, she received  eight months in custody, suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and a six months drugs programme. She was also charged with paying a £100 statutory surcharge. 

Meanwhile in 2017, Burnley magistrates heard how Grace struck Boots security guard Anthony King, four or five times in the face when she was caught shoplifting.

According to the Burnley Express, she admitted to the theft of four gift sets worth £114 from Boots  as well as items worth £26 from Wilko’s.

She also admitted to the theft of sweets to the value of £6 from B and M Bargains and chocolate worth £30 from Poundstretcher. 

At the time, she was living with her partner, who was also a heroin addict, and had no income.

The solicitor told the hearing: ‘She is currently living on food parcels and the help of friends and family.’ 

And in 2018, Grace pleaded guilty to stealing three handbags worth £229 from TK Maxx.

She had stolen the bags to fund her heroin habit.

During an inquest into her death, Carole described Grace as 'vivacious, caring and very loving' (pictured with Deacon)

During an inquest into her death, Carole described Grace as ‘vivacious, caring and very loving’ (pictured with Deacon) 

The Telegraph and Argus reported the defence as saying she was ‘motivated to change her ways.’

On the evening of her death, Grace had her home to go to the supermarket to buy some food but, finding the shop closed, picked up some heroin for herself and her partner Sean. 

Coroner Taylor told the inquest: ‘Sean said they would usually take drugs separately, and while Grace went upstairs he stayed downstairs.

‘Later, he went up to the bedroom and found Grace sprawled across the bed. He says it was around 4am, although he couldn’t properly recall whether it was day or night.’

The mother-of-one, who was in and out of prison during various periods of her life, was found by her partner Sean Hargreaves

The mother-of-one, who was in and out of prison during various periods of her life, was found by her partner Sean Hargreaves

The coroner said Sean believed Grace was asleep, but after waking the next morning he was unable to rouse her.

There was no evidence that she intended to take her own life, and her death was recorded as a conclusion of drug related death.

Meanwhile Carole, who also met the Cambridge’s on yesterday’s visit, called her granddaughter ‘vivacious, caring and very loving.’

She said: ‘Drugs are evil…’She only started using when she was with Sean, and we just want her to rest in peace now.’

After finding her body , Sean tried to contact Grace's grandmother Carole and went to her house for help, before returning home and calling 999 (pictured, Carole with Deacon)

After finding her body , Sean tried to contact Grace’s grandmother Carole and went to her house for help, before returning home and calling 999 (pictured, Carole with Deacon) 

Days ago, Grace’s mother Samone posted a tribute to her daughter on her Facebook page to mark one year since her death.

She wrote: ‘Grace Taylor you was given your angel wings I was devastated and you’ve left a massive hole in my life where you once fitted.

‘My life changed that day and it will never be the the same…Thinking of you my sweet girl R.I.P.

‘You will never be forgotten.’ 

 

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