Prince William has urged people to "speak about" their mental health.
The 34-year-old royal – who along with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and his brother Prince Harry spearheads the Heads Together campaign to end the stigma surrounding mental health – has said "we all" face struggles with mental health at some stage in life, and has urged people to start speaking about the "taboo" subject in an effort to change the way it is talked about in national conversation.
Speaking at the Guild of Health Writers conference in London, Prince William said: "Mental health was the great taboo. If you were anxious, it’s because you were weak. If you couldn’t cope with whatever life threw at you, it’s because you were failing. Successful, strong people don’t suffer like that, do they? But of course – we all do. It’s just that few of us speak about it."
And Prince William isn’t the only royal to have spoken about these issues either, as his wife Duchess Catherine – with whom he shares three-year-old Prince George and 21-month-old Princess Charlotte – recently made an appearance at Mitchell Brook primary school in London to speak about how mental health affects young people.
She said: "People often ask me why I am so interested in the mental health of children and young people.
"The answer is quite simple – it is because I think that every child should have the best possible start in life.
"When I was growing up I was very lucky. My family was the most important thing to me.
"They provided me with somewhere safe to grow and learn, and I know I was fortunate not to have been confronted by serious adversity at a young age."
Duchess Catherine also insisted she would teach her two children the value of "kindness, respect, and honesty".
She added: "My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and I realise how central values like these have been to me throughout my life.
"That is why William and I want to teach our little children George and Charlotte just how important these things are as they grow up.
"In my view it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport."
Prince William: We need to ‘speak about’ mental health
