Princess Kate Fulfills Heartfelt Commitment To Support Grieving Mother As She And William Discuss Mental Health
The Princess of Wales kept a poignant promise she made to a grieving mum as she and Prince William marked World Mental Health Day today.
The couple are marking the day with a forum for young people in Birmingham in conjunction with BBC Radio One. The event has brought together 100 youngsters to discuss how they manage their emotions and the royals talked to them about the mental health challenges their generation faces. Half of the attendees were nominated by National Citizen Service, an organisation that offers a range of experiences for young people that support them to become world and work-ready.
For the outing, Kate brought the sunshine in a vibrant yellow LK Bennett blazer, which she teamed with black Roland Mouret trousers and black heels. In her ears, she wore a stunning pair of star earrings that were actually given to her on an engagement earlier this year. In June, she visited Maidenhead Rugby Club, where she was gifted the earrings by Sarah Renton, whose talented sportswoman daughter, Issy, tragically took her own life at the age of 17.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are carrying out engagements across the country this week to mark #WorldMentalHealthDay
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) October 10, 2023
Today they are in Birmingham with @TheMixUK and @BBCR1 to host a forum for young people about âExploring our Emotional Worldsâ. pic.twitter.com/BWchC7EuOD
On meeting the princess, mum-of-three Sarah gave her a pair of star-shaped earrings that had been made by her cousin in Issyâs memory. Emotional Kate turned and hugged Mrs Renton fiercely and promised to wear them – and today she kept the promise by wearing them to a touching event.
Today’s outing for the couple also marks the start of further engagements tomorrow and on Thursday, which will highlight the importance of mental health with university students and emergency responders. It comes as survey commissioned by the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Royal Foundation found almost all those questioned thought their peers were having issues with their mental health.
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The survey found nearly 40 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds questioned felt they were not managing their emotions very well, while 95 percent of the group said they thought their peers were having some sort of problem with their mental health. Almost six in ten (59 percent) of the 16 to 24-year-olds questioned thought it was very important for young people to have greater awareness and understanding of social and emotional skills, while 39 percent felt they did not manage their emotions very well.
Their appearance comes just hours before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also mark World Mental Health Day – but across the other side of the Atlantic. The Sussexes will be in New York City to host their first in-person Archewell Foundation event. The occasion will see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex provide a platform for parents to navigate mental health when it comes to the digital world.
The event aims to build awareness on how to make online usage a safer space for parents and children and will see the couple explore how the world can create a positive change in the online environment. According to PEOPLE Meghan and Harry have been very hands-on and have been working with the parents involved in next week’s event behind the scenes, some of whom have experienced tragic loss connected to their childâs social media use.