In a rare, candid moment Prince William is opening up about his mental health.
The patriarch of his seemingly perfect royal family recently revealed that being a dad actually amplified the effects of his former day job as an ambulance pilot, that put him on the front lines of trauma frequently.
Related: Prince William Wants Dad Prince Charles To Spend More Time With Family
While speaking at the This Can Happen conference in London on Tuesday, William reflected about his years working to save lives:
“The relation between the job and the personal life was what really took me over the edge. And I started feeling things that I’ve never felt before. And I got very sad and very down about this particular family.”
Things undoubtedly get more personal when you have wife Duchess Kate Middleton and children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis at home to think about. He continued, telling the audience:
“You start to take away bits of the job and keep them in your body. And of course, you don’t want to share with your loved ones because you just don’t want to bring that sort of stuff home.”
Although it sounds like those bits might take a bit more time to go away, seeing as William piloted his last flight in July 2017.
The Prince’s brother Prince Harry has also been candid about seeking therapy in the past after the death of their mother Princess Diana, telling the Mad World podcast last year that he too needed to prioritize his mental health:
“I can safely say that losing my mom at the age of 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had quite a serious effect on not only my personal life but also my work as well. And it was it was only three years ago, funny enough, from the support around, and my brother and other people saying, ‘You really need to deal with this. It’s not normal to think that nothing has affected you.’”
Wise words, Harry!
Between the This Can Happen conference and Heads Together initiative — which aims to change the broader conversation on Mental Health through tackling stigma and providing resources to do so, it’s great to see the Royal family using their public platforms and past experiences to continue the much needed conversation on mental health.
[Image via Dutch Press Photo/WENN.]
