Prince William Gets More Candid Than Ever In Newly Released Video
Mental health matters to Prince William. In recent years, society has seen a progressive shift in dismantling the stigmas around mental health. This crucial moment for us comes after years of "manning up" and hiding our feelings away, as seeking help was not encouraged. In fact, it was quite discouraged as it was viewed as a sign of weakness — but no longer is that the case.
Joan Rosenberg, Ph.D., saliently noted (via Psychology Today), "Most people who have grown up in individualistic cultures like the United States are often raised with the belief that relying on others and asking for help is a burden to others and makes you seem emotionally weak," adding that you "need both independence and dependence—not one or the other."
As someone who has lived under the microscope his entire life and even saw his mother, the late Princess Diana, get taken away from him at an early age, Prince William is an exemplary poster boy for mental health when it comes to modern royalty. With the royal family still reeling from Megxit, William has been eyeballed as the future leader of the monarchy — and with the weight of the world on his shoulders, the Duke of Cambridge is using his platform to let people know how serious mental health really is.
Prince William lamented on 'stresses and strains' in the vulnerable video
In a new YouTube video uploaded by the royal family, Prince William is seen discussing the importance of mental health at the Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium in London. As a former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot, William reflected on his tumultuous time on the frontline and got candid about not wanting to burden his family with the traumas he dealt with daily.
"Supporting the mental health of our emergency services is extremely personal to me," William started. "I often think about my time working for RAF Search and Rescue and the East Anglian Air Ambulance. I remember the pressure of attending calls in the most stressful conditions, sometimes with tragic conclusions," he solemnly continued.
He then recalled "returning home with the stresses and strains of the day weighing on my mind, and wanting to avoid burdening my family with what I had seen" — a stark reminder of the horrors that servicemen and women deal with regularly. He then calls for "emergency responders to be given mandatory decompression breaks," as "we can't always rely on an individual recognizing this need on their own."
For those who don't recall, Prince William spent over seven years in service, working as an RAF pilot upon graduation from Scotland's University of St. Andrews (via Forces). The outlet further notes that as a search and rescue pilot, William partook in over 150 rescue missions before retraining to become an Air Ambulance Pilot.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.