Prince William and Kate Middleton took over a huge radio show for a vital reason as they shared their intention to have a “meaningful conversation”.
- The Prince and Princess of Wales took over presenting duties on BBC Newsbeat for a special mental health-focused show.
- Recorded on World Mental Health Day, they discussed how life can change “massively” and how we need to “nurture our minds” and look after our mental health.
- This royal news comes as Carole Middleton hinted at the sweet way George, Charlotte, and Louis will spend Halloween with her.
On Monday October 10, the Prince and Princess of Wales put their presenting skills to the test as they took over a huge radio show to mark World Mental Health Day. Visiting BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, the future King and Queen Consort turned reporters for BBC Newsbeat’s mental health special and heard from four special guests about their experiences. Set to air on October 11 at 12:45 on Radio 1 as well as Radio 1Xtra and Asian Network, Prince William declared that he and Kate wanted to have a “meaningful conversation” about this vital subject.
As reported by the BBC, he urged people everywhere to start to build themselves a “toolbox” of coping strategies and techniques that work for them to help deal with unexpected, challenging situations.
To mark World Mental Health Day, we’ve got two special reporters joining us. Listen to The Prince and Princess of Wales host a conversation on mental health in the Radio 1 Live Lounge at 12:45 tomorrow #WorldMentalHealthDay https://t.co/uMvNiogf3bOctober 10, 2022
The Prince of Wales, who is now first in the royal line of succession, remarked upon how things can change “massively” unexpectedly in life and often, we aren’t able to “tackle” this.
"A lot of people don't realize what they need until it actually comes along," he shared. “You can be living one life one minute and something massively changes and you realise you don't necessarily have the tools or experience to be able to tackle that. If we can't look after ourselves we're not going to be able to tackle the issues we feel we have to on a day-to-day basis.”
Elsewhere during Prince William and Kate Middleton’s radio takeover, the Princess reflected that what might best support one person might not work as well for another - and that it’s critical to “nurture our minds” as well as our bodies.
The Princess of Wales explained, "There's no right or wrong. Different things will work for different people and it's just sometimes trying different methods, different opportunities that arise to help best support you.”
"Everyone has mental health, in the same way as their physical health we have to look after it, in the same way we go to the gym, we need to look after and nurture our minds as well,” she added.
The royals also discussed the importance of opening up, the pressures of social media and stigmas surrounding mental health with their guests - mental health advocate António Ferreria, music therapist Ben Cowley, Emma Hardwell from charity The Mix which offers vital support for those under 25, and Dr Abigail Miranda from the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s radio takeover followed on from the couple’s message in May to mark Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK. Apologizing for interrupting UK’s radio stations, they spoke about the importance of helping to combat loneliness.
“[T]hese small acts of kindness can make a big difference and help us all feel less lonely. So, apologies for interrupting every radio station in the country," they declared. “But, if we interrupt the lives of those who are feeling alone - we can help lift them out of loneliness."
