The Prince of Wales offered comfort to a businessman who became visibly emotional while describing the support he has received from a mental health charity serving rural Norfolk.
During a visit to Anmer Social Club, located near his Anmer Hall residence, Prince William placed his hand on Paul Gannon's arm and encouraged him to "take your time" as Mr Gannon praised Norfolk and Waveney Mind as "amazing" for their efforts around the Sandringham estate.
The heir to the throne was at the venue to assess progress on a two-year mental health initiative launched last year, which he and Catherine jointly fund.
Approximately 800 individuals have accessed support since the pilot commenced.
Prince William rushed to comfort a visibly emotional man at a mental health charity
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The programme aims to expand Mind's existing work in the area while providing additional mental health resources for Sandringham estate workers and the broader community.
William explained his motivation for backing the initiative, stating: "What I noticed was there was a lot of isolation going on, people were stopping me and talking to me about it, and I felt that was a bit of a nod to say, 'Well, can you do something about it?'."
He described the scheme as an opportunity to identify needs and challenges facing rural populations, with ambitions to develop a model that could be rolled out nationwide to ensure comprehensive mental health coverage.
Mr Gannon, who has received support from Mind for approximately four years, shared his experience with the prince, explaining that the charity has become "a sort of family" for him.
The Prince of Wales speaks with members of the community during a visit to Norfolk and Waveney Mind in Norwich
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Living in isolation with relatives based elsewhere, he told William: "I've had PTSD issues which have really come back to haunt me, and it's good to be able to talk, not just go on to antidepressants and things like that, to actually (talk) to real people, caring people and people you trust."
Initial feedback from the pilot indicates that venue selection has proved particularly successful, with Anmer Social Club serving as a welcoming community space where new friendships have formed among participants.
When the prince enquired about the key factor that draws men to peer support groups, Mark Back, who leads Mind's local men's sessions, responded: "I wish I knew the answer."
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He noted that once men attend their first session and observe how the group operates, they typically return and form meaningful connections.
Mr Back also observed that younger people's openness about psychological wellbeing appears to be encouraging older family members to discuss their own mental health.
During his visit, William also spent time with a group of women who participate in menopause-focused exercise classes, sharing a joke about their hula-hoop activities.