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Prince & Princess of Wales

Prince William launches Mental Health at Work

In the next part of his fight to end the stigma around mental health, Prince William launched Mental Health at Work, an online portal with resources and information on mental health.

The project is run by Mind and Heads Together, the foundation set up by Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

At the event in Bristol, the Duke of Cambridge spoke of dealing with his own mental health during his time as an air ambulance pilot.

He said: “I took a lot home without realising it. You see [so] many sad things every day that you think life is like that.”

Prince William added on: “You’re always dealing with despair and sadness and injury. The attrition builds up and you never really have the opportunity to offload anything if you’re not careful.”

“You’re human and a lot of people forget the battles, you have shut it off to do the job — but ultimately something pierces the armour,” William said.

He was also “stunned” that only 2 per cent of the population feels safe talking to their workplace human resources about mental health.

@KensingtonRoyal/Twitter

Paul Farmer noted that after William’s speech, 100 people per second were viewing Mind’s website.

“It’s a good sign and tells us here’s a huge need for this area.

“Half the people at work are living with a mental health problem — either now or it’s in the past.

“This is taking the best of the best that already exists and turns it into something we can mainstream.”

Farmer added on the dedication that not just Prince William, but all the Royals, have to mental health awareness: “My firm belief is that all of [the royals] and particularly the Duke — in this context — have done a lot of background work and really thought about this issue and their commitment is 100 per cent real.

“You heard in his speech talking about his experiences on the frontline. It’s really tough work as an air ambulance and search and rescue pilot. He knows how important this is for people at work. His commitment is constantly enhanced as we go along on this journey.”