Prince William says it has taken ‘long time to understand my emotions’
Prince William has revealed how he spent a “long time” understanding his feelings during a surprise radio appearance.
The Prince of Wales appeared in a panel discussion about mental health and suicide prevention on an episode of BBC Radio 1’s Life Hacks program on Wednesday.
Hosted by radio presenter Greg James, the future king was joined by an “extraordinary” panel including rapper Professor Green and grime artist Guvna B, as well as Allan Brownrigg, director of clinical services at charity James’ Place, and a young carer called Nathan, who shared his personal experiences on the subject.
William said it was “a real national disaster” that suicide prevention and men’s mental health was such a taboo subject, before speaking candidly about his own emotional journey.
He said: “It takes a long time to try to understand my emotions and why I feel the way I do, and I think that’s a very important process to do every now and then, to check in with yourself and understand why you feel the way you do.
“Sometimes there’s an obvious explanation, sometimes there isn’t. I think the idea that a mental health crisis is temporary; you can have a strong moment of mental health crisis, but it’s temporary.”
Prince William later encouraged people to “learn to love and understand themselves”, emphasizing the importance of “more male role models emerging, talking about it and normalizing it so it becomes second nature to all of us”.
The Prince and Princess of Wales launched the National Suicide Prevention Network on World Mental Health Day last October, with the aim of transforming suicide prevention in the UK.
The Royal Foundation has invested £1 million in funding over the first three years to focus on understanding the root causes of suicide, providing accessible support and strengthening collaboration to achieve the biggest possible impact.
Four charities are participating in the initiative – James’ Place, PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland, Mikeysline and the Jac Lewis Foundation, representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – and the co-founders of Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory.
As part of the launch, the Prince of Wales spoke to campaigner Rhian Mannings, whose one-year-old son George died after suffering a seizure in 2012 and whose husband Paul died by suicide five days later. She looked visibly moved as she fought back tears as she discussed the devastating impact of suicide and the need for better support for those at risk.
