Prince William has urged people to speak out about depression in a video filmed for the Church of England to mark the end of Mental Health Awareness Week.
The Duke of Cambridge, 37, admitted mental health is a topic he and Kate Middleton, 38, care ‘passionately’ about, and highlighted the importance of recognising the symptoms of anxiety amid the lockdown surrounding coronavirus.
William, who is isolating with Kate, Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, at Amner Hall in Norfolk, stressed that it’s ‘okay not to feel okay’ in the clip today.
Speaking in the video led by the Reverend Professor Gina Radford, a vicar in Devon and former deputy chief medical officer for England, William revealed he and Kate had taken ‘great comfort in the acts of kindness they had witnessed’.
Prince William has urged people to speak out about depression in a video filmed for the Church of England to mark the end of Mental Health Awareness Week today
Speaking from his home office, William looked smart in a crisp white shirt and black blazer, revealing: ‘Mental health is an issue Catherine and I care passionately about, and we are determined to do all we can to remove the stigma attached to it.
‘The impact of the coronavirus has been far-reaching, and we shouldn’t underestimate its effects on us, and on those in our families and communities.
‘Whether people have lost or are worrying about loved ones, struggling with isolating at home, feeling anxious about job security or working on the front line – now more than ever it is important that we talk to one another about issues we’re struggling with. And it is OK to not feel OK.
‘Catherine and I have both found great comfort in the wonderful acts of kindness we have seen happening right across the nation.’
William, who is isolating with Kate, Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, at Amner Hall in Norfolk, seen, stressed that it’s ‘okay not to feel okay’ in the clip
The speech today comes just days after Prince William warned of the impact that lockdown and being kept away from school could be having on children’s mental health.
In a video call to care providers, he said he was particularly concerned about the issue, despite families attempting to ‘muddle’ their way through.
He also expressed fears about their anxiety levels as a result of the pandemic generally, as well as the loss of family members to the virus, and highlighted the long-term implications of the economic outlook for school leavers.
The prince was talking to five professionals from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in a Zoom video call.
William said: ‘I’m particularly worried as to how the young people are going to cope long term because we’re all muddling through this period.
‘But the long-term implications – of school being missed, anxiety levels, family members sadly dying and the sort of general economic outlook – do you think that will play heavily on your services and what they’ll need?’
The Duke of Cambridge, 37, admitted mental health is a topic he and Kate Middleton, 38, care ‘passionately’ about, and highlighted the importance of recognising the symptoms of anxiety amid the lockdown surrounding coronavirus
On Thursday night Prince William warned of the impact that lockdown and being kept away from school could be having on children’s mental health
In a video call to care providers, he said he was particularly concerned about the issue, despite families attempting to ‘muddle’ their way through. The prince was talking to five professionals from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in a Zoom video call (pictured)
Consultant psychiatrist Frances Doherty, who runs an inpatient mental health unit for teenagers, replied: ‘Interestingly, some of our referral rates have gone down but I would imagine that as we’re starting to come out of lockdown and people are starting to get back into the world again, [we’re] starting to realise just what we’ve been through and we’ll start to see our referral rate increase and the impact on our services.
‘What I think has been really helpful is a lot of work has been done to think about how young people can care for themselves, how parents can care for them, to help them to survive and to thrive even… through the pandemic.
‘But I think it’s the other side of it that we’ll have all the challenges that you mentioned.’