Prince William Reveals How This Tragic Event from His Past Affected His Mental Health
We all know about Prince Harry’s history with mental health struggles following Princess Diana’s death. He has also been open about suffering from PTSD after he served in the military and watched his friends die on the battlefield. These tragic life events prompted Prince Harry to launch his own TV show with Oprah Winfrey to raise awareness about mental health and get people the help they need to overcome their struggles.
Like Prince Harry, Prince William also encourages men to speak up about their mental health struggles
While we’re happy to finally see Prince Harry in a better place and is happy right now, little is known about his brother, Prince William. Contrary to popular belief, Princess Diana’s death also impacted the Duke of Cambridge’s mental health. For the first time, Prince William is opening up about the mental health struggles he endured for the past 22 years.
The Confession
Following the tragic car accident involving Princess Diana on August 31, 1997, her eldest son, Prince William, suffered from depression at a young age.
It’s natural for a child as young as he was to go through an emotional turmoil after the death of a loved one, but William never admitted it until recently. The Duke of Cambridge said that he felt immense pain when he lost his mother.
The Duke of Cambridge joined renowned athletes like Peter Crouch, Gareth Southgate, Danny Rose, and others to discuss mental health for men
While death is painful and heartbreaking no matter the age, the agony you feel is more intense when you’re still young, and are unable to come to terms with the reality that your loved one is gone forever.
Prince William felt as if his world had gone dark, and he didn’t know what to do anymore. From then on, he and Harry would never have the love and guidance of their mother.
The Loneliness
While Prince William says the support they got from the British Royal Family helped ease his pain, Diana’s death wasn’t the last time he struggled with depression. Prince William also felt constant loneliness when he served in the Royal Air Force as a pilot.
During his military tour, the scenes of hopelessness, despair, injury, death, and sadness became the norm. The attrition built up without him even realizing it and he ended up wallowing in his sorrow and loneliness for a long time.
Breaking the Stigma
While everyone who has a mental illness should get professional help as soon as possible, Prince William wants to concentrate on extending more support to men. According to him, most men suffer from mental illness silently, since they’re too afraid to reach out and seek assistance from family and friends.
The Duke of Cambridge reiterates there’s strength in sharing your struggles
Together with his wife, Kate Middleton, his brother, Prince Harry, they launched Heads Together in 2016. The organization aims to open communication between patients and help them share their struggles with the world to raise awareness about mental health.
The Duchess of Sussex joined their cause later on as they established Shout, a text messaging service where patients with mental illness can contact, share their burden, and connect with a professional volunteer to provide help and support to them.