Prince William has dubbed the high rate of suicide amongst young men in the UK as "an appalling stain on our society".
The 34-year-old royal, along with his wife Duchess Catherine and his brother Prince Harry, has spearheaded the Heads Together campaign in order to work toward ending the stigma around mental health, and has now spoken out about the "hidden" threat of suicide which is the "biggest killer" of men under 40 in the UK.
Speaking to the Guild of Health Writers at a conference entitled ‘The Anxiety Epidemic’ on Monday (06.02.17), Prince William said: "You may be wondering why Catherine, Harry and I got involved in this topic in the first place. Mental health is traditionally not a mainstream subject, after all.
"For me personally, it was a gradual awakening over many years through work I’ve been privileged to witness with vulnerable young people – the homeless, the unemployed, those who are unable to fulfil their potential.
"But I got interested in mental health for another reason. One that was related to my work as an air ambulance pilot. It was suicide, a subject that is so often hidden.
"The suicide rate among young men in this country is an appalling stain on our society. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 40 in this country. Not cancer, not knife crime, not road deaths – suicide."
The royal – who shares Prince George, three, and Princess Charlotte, 21 months, with his 35-year-old wife – revealed he spoke to eight charities about the effects of mental health, urging sufferers to "talk" to someone.
He added at the conference: "At the moment, on average it takes a sufferer 10 years to admit to a problem. This means that what often starts as a fairly minor issue becomes something serious and medical after time.
"What these charities told us was that silence can kill, but talking can lead to help and support."
Prince William: High suicide rates are ‘an appalling stain on our society’
