Prince William becomes emotional in new video as royals promote mental health message

PRINCE WILLIAM GETS EMOTIONAL IN SUICIDE PREVENTION VIDEO

The Prince of Wales was visibly emotional this week, as he discussed bereavement with a mother-of-three whose baby and husband died withing five days of each other.

Rhian Burke's husband, Paul, took his own life after their one year old son died from pneumonia in 2012.

William reunited with Rhian for the first time in eight years, in an emotional video discussing suicide prevention.

At one point, William appears to be fighting back tears, and Rhian asks if he is "okay".

"I'm sorry," The Prince told Rhian, "It's just hard to ask these questions that I..."

"No, it's fine. It's just you've got children."

The Prince appears to choke up at this point, breathing out through his mouth heavily.

"It's hard...And you've experienced loss yourself."

Prince William was just fifteen when his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash.

Rhian told us afterwards: "When he got emotional, I obviously got emotional because when you live it every day, you never get hardened to it, but it's part of you and you have to live with it. You have to, otherwise you wouldn't go on. So when you're talking about it and see an emotion coming back at you, you do get reminded that, wow, this. You have been through quite a lot, which I do forget because you do. You do have to continue. But I think it just shows that it's okay to have these conversations. And I'm hoping even if people do get emotional, that today perhaps see, in this film they realize that they can't talk about it."

The future King has long since been an advocate for breaking the stigma around mental health.

He and Rhian discussed the need for better support for those bereaved and affected by suicide.

On Friday, The Prince launched The Royal Foundation's Suicide Prevention Network, using £1 million of funding over three years.

The national programme is designed to focus on tackling the root causes of suicide, ensuring accessible support and strengthened collaboration.

Across all four nations of the UK, the National Suicide Prevention Network aims to deliver lasting change in how suicide is understood and prevented.

The cause is something William is deeply passionate about; I have never seen him so emotional.

At a time when NHS mental health services are overstretched and in , it appears to be up to royals and charities to pick up the slack.
If you, or someone you know, needs support - help can be found at www.hubofhope.co.uk

A PLAYDATE WITH A PRINCESS

I spent Thursday on a playdate with The Princess of Wales.

Yes, there were lots of little children there too, but Her Royal Highness was clearly in her element - and I couldn't stop smiling.

Earlier in the day, Catherine had published a detailed essay she co-authored, highlighting the importance of creating a firm foundation for the lives of children by helping them develop “strong social and emotional skills”.

Perhaps that is why she chose to visit Home-Start Oxford - an organisation working to support young families at home and in communities across the UK.

It helps The Princess' Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood explain the vital importance of social and emotional development.
In a community hall in Oxford, I observed The Princess interact with babies, toddlers and mums enjoying traditional play away from electronic screens - think play-dough, sweet scented flowers and pumpkins.

The idea was to help the children develop different senses.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson tells me: “Today, The Princess had the opportunity see a space that brings people from across the local community to connect and come together. She also had the opportunity to see the work Home Start is doing to support the foundations for a healthy, happy society.”

PRINCE HARRY'S LATEST MOVE, INDICATES SHARED PASSION WITH PRINCE WILLIAM

Across the pond, Prince Harry appears also to be on the mental health provision drive.

He joined a special reception supporting Movember, the leading global men's health organisation, where he discussed why American men are "dying younger, struggling more, and suffering in silence."

Like his brother and sister-in-law, Prince Harry has worked for more than a decade advocating for mental health provision - particularly around veterans.

"When I speak to men, the same struggles keep coming up," he told the panel, "Which tells me that the weight they carry isn't uncommon. The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand. Loneliness convinces you you're the only one, which is rarely true."

Prince Harry suggested social media was partly to blame for more than one in four young men (18-34) reporting mental ill-health struggles in the past year, according to the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

He said too many young men are influenced by "algorithms that make them feel powerless and hopeless, rather than real mentors."
He slammed digital spaces for "maximising engagement through outrage and division" and, echoing The Princess of Wales' own Early Childhood foundation, agrees tech does not support healthy development.

His own Invictus Games, which supports sick and wounded veterans and serving personnel, also came up in conversation.
The Duke said that the paralympic-style showed him what is possible when "strength is redefined, vulnerability is respected, and recovery is celebrated as courage".

"I found myself speaking to many veterans and sitting down with them I realized the silence is killing people,” he said, adding, "Stamping out the stigma globally, we’ve come a long way. Access to therapy is still a massive problem".

Prince Harry, by his own admission, has spent a lot of time in therapy - helping come to terms with the premature loss of his mother.
In 2016, he helped his brother, William, and sister-in-law, Catherine, launch the Heads Together campaign.

Spearheaded by The Royal Foundation, it aimed to change the national conversation around mental health by tackling stigma and encouraging people to talk openly about their feelings.

Now, of course, Prince Harry is estranged from his family, and is not thought to be on speaking terms with them.

The two brothers in particular are now on separate paths - tackling the same issue separately.

It is unclear if their shared passion will one day reunite them.

Find out more about Movember's mission at www.movember.com