What to Know
Taking time to “understand one’s emotions.” This is one of the priorities expressed by the Prince of Wales in a debate on mental health. William stated in a special episode of ‘Life Hacks’ on BBC Radio 1 that “we need more male role models” who publicly talk about their mental health, to help other men do the same.
Mental health is a cause close to the British heir to the throne’s heart, and his Royal Foundation is contributing £1 million to the development of a national suicide prevention network.
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2024 suicide was the leading cause of death among young people aged 20-34 in England and Wales.
During the debate, Prince William stated that he believes the lack of discussion about the prevalence of male suicides in the UK is a “real national catastrophe. I take a lot of time to try and understand my emotions and why I feel a certain way. I think it’s a very important process to do every now and then, to check in with yourself and understand why you feel that way. Sometimes there’s an obvious explanation, sometimes not. I believe that thinking a mental health crisis is temporary is a valid way to approach it: you can have a moment of strong mental health crisis, but it will pass.”
During the broadcast, Prince William encouraged viewers to “learn to love and understand themselves.”
He also emphasized the importance of sharing one’s feelings, stating: “To feel comfortable talking about mental health, it is essential to understand it.”
When asked if his children openly talk about their feelings, Prince William jokingly replied: “Sometimes too much. I get all the details and I like that, it’s great. We need more male role models, who talk about it and for talking about it to become the norm, second nature for all of us.”
King Charles’s son added that the support of organizations working in this field could also represent “that little springboard” to overcome a difficult moment.
“And if we talk about it more and if we educate people more, then hopefully the idea of suicide will continue to be further and further away. Because you know that tomorrow you could wake up and feel very different.”
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