Prince William fights back tears as he speaks to grieving widow about losing her husband to suicide – just days after their baby died

It’s not often you see the future king burst into tears.

But Prince William could not hide his pain as he discussed the devastating impact of suicide with a mother whose husband committed suicide just five days after the death of her one-year-old son.

In a deeply moving conversation to mark World Mental Health Day, the Prince of Wales’s voice cracked and Rhian Mannings closed her eyes as she told how she wished her late husband Paul would talk to her about how he felt.

‘I think that’s the hardest thing…we would be fine,’ he said.

The film was shot at Ms Mannings’ home in Cardiff earlier this month.

Little George was her and her husband Paul’s third child; He was a laughing, giggling, crawling everywhere and just learning to say ‘hello’ when he celebrated his first birthday in February 2012.

A week later he suffered a seizure but tragically died just two hours after being admitted to hospital. It was later revealed that he had pneumonia and influenza A, which can be asymptomatic.

While Rhian and Paul initially consoled each other, she soon began blaming herself terribly, saying she had let her family down.

Prince William couldn’t hide his pain as he described the devastating impact of suicide

Five days later he went out for a walk and never returned.

Although Ms Mannings was awarded an MBE for her work establishing the 2 Wish Upon A Star charity, which has helped more than 3,000 people affected by the sudden death of a child or young person in Wales, the years since have been painful.

But it is clear that the pain still remains.

In the new film, the future King visited Ms Mannings, 48, for a cup of tea and Welsh cakes baked by her mother and told of her experiences. The two had met before.

‘Do you want to put them on the plate?’ he asked her, offering her the cakes.

‘So how are you, Rhian? Because obviously I haven’t been able to catch up with you for a long time,’ said William.

‘You know, everything is up and down, everything is up and down. Life is already up and down, isn’t it?’ he replied.

‘Absolutely,’ replied William, who was going through a difficult time as both his wife and father were diagnosed with cancer.

After the news about the family was shared, William asked: ‘Rhian, how did you manage to raise your children so brilliantly like you? How did they manage to evolve? ‘

‘They have grown into incredible children and young adults. Looking back, I still don’t really know how we got through it. People ask me this a lot, “How do you do this?” “Like, and I don’t really know either,” he shared.

William went to the house near Cardiff of Mrs Mannings, who had first met him eight years earlier.

William asked Mrs. Mannings how her children managed to thrive after the tragedies

‘They were so young, the memories they have now are probably the memories I planted in their minds. I’m still very worried about what tomorrow will bring to our family. But I try to be rational and think positively. I just want my children to be happy. ‘

William talked about the ‘stigma’ that still exists around suicide and the difficulty families have in choosing whether or not to talk about it.

‘I think it’s important to never lie… There are ways to be honest and just be kind. “As a parent, you know your children better than anyone,” he said.

William added: ‘There are families I have spoken to who have had to endure suicide. There really are so many unanswered questions that will live with you forever, aren’t there?’

‘I will forever look back over the last few days I spent with him, wondering what I missed. We were very happy before we lost George. “And I think it just shows that this can really happen to anyone,” he said sadly.

‘If you could say anything or want to say something to Paul. What would you do… what would you say?’ he asked.

‘If I had spent time with him, there’s only one thing I would say to him. And that would be: “Why didn’t you talk to me?” he admitted.

‘I guess… I ask myself that every day. Absolutely devastated, he continued to blame himself that weekend. But I sit him down like this and say, “Why didn’t you come to me?” I would like to say. Because he missed so much joy and we would be fine. And I think that’s the hardest thing, we would be fine.’

At this point he could see the prince was struggling.

Rhian Mannings set up charity to support families affected by the sudden death of a child

‘Are you ok?’ he asked gently.

Shaking his head and taking her hand, the prince replied: ‘I’m sorry. It’s very difficult to ask these questions, I…’

‘No, it’s okay. “You only have children,” Mrs. Mannings told him gently.

‘I know, I know… It is…’ the royal trailed off.

“It’s hard… And you’ve experienced the loss, too,” he assured her.

“No problem,” William replied.

“Life can throw these terrible curveballs at you, but by talking about it, you know, you can move on with hope,” he added.

William, who has now managed to pull himself together, agrees and said: ‘The best way to prevent suicide is to talk about it. Talk about it early, talk to your loved ones, those you trust, your friends. So thank you for mentioning it. ‘

At one point Mrs. Mannings’s mother also walked in and William thanked her for some Welsh cakes and promised to take them home to eat in the car.

Rhian Mannings, her husband Paul Burke and their son George. George died on February 22, 2012, at the age of one year, one week and one day. Paul took his own life five days later.

The family, including Ms Mannings’ other children Holly, 17, and Isaac, 16, laughed together when they realized the future king had gone with their grandmother’s Tupperware box.

‘He took your Tupperware! he chuckled. ‘Actually, it’s not a typical Thursday…!’

The touching film of their speech was released to mark the launch of the Prince and Princess of Wales Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network, which is supported by more than 20 organizations and has received more than £1 million in funding from the couple.

Over the next three years, they hope to address the root causes of suicide and create a single, universal way to prevent suicide that is evidence-based, effective and accessible to everyone.

The network will be led by Professor Ann John, a leading expert on suicide and self-harm prevention, and will cover all four countries in the UK.

Suicide prevention is a complex problem shaped by social, economic, and personal factors; This means there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Paul Burke with his son George, who died in February 2012 aged one year, one week and one day

Latest figures show that 7,055 people die by suicide in the UK every year.

The Prince of Wales said in a statement: ‘The incredible partners who make up this network are reaching people at risk of or affected by suicide through their inspiring work.

‘I had the privilege of meeting all the co-founders to see first-hand their strong community-based efforts to offer hope and support to those who need it most.

‘Their efforts reaffirm the urgent mission of the National Suicide Prevention Network: to build a bold, unified national response to the heartbreaking and preventable tragedy of suicide.’

Speaking about her family life and personal experiences, Ms Mannings added: ‘We just assumed life would take us through the normal journey of growing old together. I returned to teaching just a few days after my maternity leave.

‘When George suddenly fell ill at home. So we had to call an ambulance to get home and he was taken to the hospital.

George Burke died on February 22, 2012, at the age of one year, one week and one day

‘You never think anything bad will happen because this is your family. You see these events happening on television. But unfortunately George was in a very bad condition and died two hours after being taken to hospital.

‘Five days later, after we lost George, something probably unimaginable happened. Something completely unexpected that we could never have prepared for… Did Paul leave the house and take his own life?

‘It’s really hard to explain what grief feels like. The emptiness, the physical pain, your heart hurts You know, your limbs hurt, you hurt But when you lose someone to suicide, it leaves so many questions unanswered.

‘But I hope to raise awareness of what it is and also the impact it has on those left behind. The thing that causes people to go out and never come back home.

‘Let’s stand together and talk. Let’s get the public talking about this. ‘We can help each other, it doesn’t really have to be like this.’

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, you can find information and support at the Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory: https://hubofhope.co.uk/.

For confidential support call Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details