The Duke of Cambridge has met professional footballers in a bid to ‘break the stigma surrounding men’s mental health’.
In a documentary to be shown on BBC One later this month, William meets Premier League players including Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart to discuss the issue.
The programme: Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health, will be shown on May 28, according to the short clip on Twitter from the royal’s mental health initiative Heads Together.
William says: ‘You can’t be ashamed of your mental health. You’ve got to be able to look it in the eye and go ‘I’m gonna deal with it, here we go’.
The Duke of Cambridge has met professional footballers in a bid to ‘break the stigma surrounding men’s mental health’
The programme: Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health, will be shown on May 28, according to the short clip on Twitter from the royal’s mental health initiative Heads Together
‘It’s about feeling confident enough to say ‘things aren’t great’. It’s okay not to be okay’.
It is not clear when the programme was filmed but it is thought to have taken place before the coronavirus pandemic.
Last November, William met West Bromwich Albion players to talk about the impact of racism on professional footballers’ mental health, during which he also raised the issue of the impact of social media criticism on players.
In a documentary to be shown on BBC One later this month, William meets Premier League players including Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart to discuss the mental health issue
It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge lent their support to a Public Health England initiative to boost the nation’s mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.
They said: ‘The last few weeks have been anxious and unsettling for everyone.
‘We have to take time to support each other and find ways to look after our mental health.
‘By pulling together and taking simple steps each day, we can all be better prepared for the times ahead.’
William says: ‘You can’t be ashamed of your mental health. You’ve got to be able to look it in the eye and go ‘I’m gonna deal with it, here we go’. He is pictured meeting some of the players
Left: Prince William also caught up with some of the players via video call. Right: the royal listens to one of the players as he says he ‘couldn’t see a way out’
Earlier this week the royal couple also video-called volunteers from the mental health text service Shout.
During the call, The Duke thanked the five volunteers on the call for their work, saying: ‘You guys are the trailblazers, you have been doing a fantastic job keeping Shout moving forward, so well done and thank you for all your hard work; we really appreciate it.’
The couple spoke about how Shout is playing a vital role as the country continues to deal with the impact of coronavirus and how work on the frontline is affecting health and care staff as well as emergency responders and other key workers.
Kate Middleton, 38, and Prince William, 37, spoke with volunteers from the mental health text service Shout via video call on Wednesday
The volunteers also spoke about how lockdown has impacted young people’s mental wellbeing, including how many are finding it harder to access their usual ways of maintaining good mental health but the difference a supportive text conversation can make.
The service is powered by a team of more than 1,800 trained volunteers who stand ready to speak to anyone at all times of the day and is free on all major mobile networks.
In the past year, it has had 300,000 text conversations, two thirds of which have been with people aged 25 or under.
The couple are currently isolating with their children Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, at their Norfolk Home, Anmer Hall.