A few months ago, the British Royal Family announced the launch of its "Heads Together" campaign. This initiative, promoted by Prince William, his wife Kate, and his brother Harry, seeks to help people achieve mental well-being and provide them with the necessary support tools for themselves, their families, or their friends.
In the context of this launch, Prince William—future King of England—gave the British edition of GQ Magazine his first magazine interview in history, which will feature on the cover of the July issue. In an excerpt from the text, the Prince speaks about his determination to get more people to start talking about mental health and also shared how the death of his mother, Diana of Wales, affected his own mental health.
«Ending the stigma is our greatest goal. We cannot do much until that happens. People will not be able to access help until they feel less ashamed, so we have to eliminate the taboo and the stigma. For heaven's sake, we are in the 21st century," asserts the Prince.
«I have been struck by how many people live in silence and fear because of their mental illness. I do not understand it. I know I come across as rather reserved and shy, I do not always show my emotions, but behind closed doors I think about my problems. I trust the people around me and I receive their advice, and I strongly believe in communication to solve these problems. I cannot understand how families, even behind closed doors, still find it difficult to talk about their mental health. It surprises me that we are so worried about expressing how we really feel.«
Prince William also shared what it was like for him to cope with the sensitive passing of his mother and how he still misses her to this day.
«I would have liked to have had her advice. I would have loved for her to have met Catherine and to see her grandchildren grow up. It makes me sad that she will not be able to, and that they will never know her.» He mentions that his family is what gives him stability, and that the most important thing for him and his wife is for their children to grow up in a happy, stable, and safe environment.
«I am better now than I have been for a long time. I can now talk about my mother more openly, more honestly, and I can remember her better, and speak about her publicly in a better way. Reaching this point has taken me almost 20 years. I still find it difficult because at the time it was all very raw. And it is not like the grief of most people, because in this case everyone knows about it, everyone knows the story, everyone knows her. It is a different situation, because most people who lose someone they love can hide it or can choose whether or not to share their story», states William.
Mental health is at the center of the British Royal Family's social work. To date, the Heads Together campaign has been recruiting an increasing number of celebrities to raise their voices to demonstrate the need to speak openly about mental health, among them Lady Gaga. These conversations materialize in videos that have gone viral within days; all are available through the campaign's official YouTube channel.
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