If Prince William thought waving Prince George off at his first day of school was an emotional affair, he might want to prepare himself for the day he says 'goodbye' to his children as they embark on a slightly later chapter of their lives - university.
The heartbreak of dropping a child off at university is an experience former President Barack Obama knows all too well, and he's just opened up about the day during a short speech at an event for the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children in Delaware.
Last month, Barack dropped his eldest daughter Malia Obama off at Harvard University and revealed: 'For those of us who have daughters, it just happens fast.'
In the video, published by WDEL 101.7FM, he added: 'I dropped off Malia at college, and I was saying to Joe and Jill [Biden] that it was a little bit like open-heart surgery.'
However, he was able to hold back his tears until he and his wife Michelle left the college campus.
'I was proud that I did not cry in front of her,' Obama said, 'but on the way back, the secret service was looking straight ahead pretending they weren't hearing me as I sniffled and blew my nose. It was rough.'
He ended his speech to say that the experience was 'a reminder that, at the end of our lives, whatever else we've accomplished, the things that we'll remember are the joys that our children – and hopefully way later, our grandchildren – bring us'.
Despite welcoming the waterworks on his departure from the university, we have a feeling Barack had a feeling he'd well up on the momentous occasion.
'Malia going off and leaving...that'll make me tear me up,' he said on CBS This Morning in February 2016.
Malia graduated from high school in 2016 and enjoyed several gap year trips and internships before enrolling at Harvard University as a freshman this autumn.
Even the thought of Barack Obama crying has us welling up.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
