Prince William and Prince Harry Both Launch New Initiatives on World Mental Health Day as Royals Confront "Heartbreaking" Conversations
The Prince and Princess of Wales and Duke and Duchess of Sussex have all championed mental health causes over the years.
Prince William and Prince Harry have long been part of the conversation surrounding mental health, and on Friday, October 10, the brothers are both addressing the devastating—and growing—mental health crisis around the world. During their visit to NYC, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Project Healthy Minds Gala and World Mental Health Day Festival, while Prince William teared up in an emotional film announcing a new suicide prevention initiative from The Royal Foundation.
On October 9, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were honored for their work with the Humanitarian of the Year Award at the Project Healthy Minds Gala. Through their Archewell Foundation Parents' Network, the couple works with families whose children have died by suicide or otherwise suffered from the negative effects of social media and online bullying.
In honor of World Mental Health Day, the couple announced a new partnership with ParentsTogether, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to family advocacy and online safety. In particular, the two groups will work on confronting AI-related harms, with new research from ParentsTogether showing kids using chatbots encountered harmful interactions every five minutes.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pictured at the Project Healthy Minds Gala on October 9.
Prince Harry spoke on stage during the Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Festival on October 10.
"This is a pivotal moment in our collective mission to protect children and support families in the digital age," Prince Harry said during a speech at the Project Healthy Minds Gala. "We knew this movement needed to grow," he added. "These families are not only up against corporations and lobbyists, many of whom spend tens of millions of dollars every year in suppressing the truth, but also algorithms designed to maximize data collection at any cost."
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales released a new short film announcing the launch of The Royal Foundation's National Suicide Prevention Network. The film features Rhian Mannings MBE, whose husband died by suicide just five days after they lost their 1-year-old son, George, in 2012.
Prince William teared up during their conversation, during which Mannings told the royal that she wished her husband had spoken to her and told her that he was suffering. After Mannings asked if he was "okay," the Prince of Wales replied, "I'm sorry. It's just it's hard to ask these questions that I..."
Prince William hugged Rhian Mannings in the emotional short film The Royal Foundation released on World Mental Health Day.
Mannings and the Prince of Wales discussed suicide prevention in a new short film.
"No, it’s fine. It’s just you’ve got children," Mannings said. The Prince of Wales, who fought back tears, replied, "I know, I know...It is..." with Mannings adding, "It’s hard...And you’ve experienced loss yourself."
Backed by more than £1 million in funding from The Royal Foundation, over an initial three-year period, the new National Suicide Prevention Network aims to deliver lasting change in how suicide is understood and prevented across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Per Kensington Palace, the network aims to "improve universal pathways for suicide prevention to ensure that they are evidence-based, effective and accessible to all."
