Prince William said that “disappointment is a part of life” as he discussed mental health on a new 25-minute video on YouTube.
The Prince of Wales, 40, has lived his life in the glaring public eye, dealing with his mother Princess Diana’s death on a global stage at just 15 years old, and facing jibes about the royal family from Prince Harry, the brother to whom he was once so close.
William, who is now first in line to the throne, is passionate about mental health, and together with his wife Kate Middleton, 40, they spearhead their Heads Together campaign.
Prince William sat down for a chat with England stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice, to talk about their shared love for football and the life lessons it has taught them over the years.
William, who is now first in line to the throne, is passionate about mental health, and together with his wife Kate Middleton, 40, they spearhead their Heads Together campaign.
In the video, Prince William sat down for a chat with England stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice, to talk about their shared love for football and the life lessons it has taught them over the years.
The episode, named Games of Fives, is hosted by Kelvyn Quagraine, and organised by football media company Copa90 with the Royal Foundation.
During their conversation, Prince William, a keen Aston Villa fan, credits football with teaching him that “disappointment is a part of life”, and highlights the work of Shout, the free and confidential 24/7 text messaging service for people struggling with their mental health.
He said: “You learn by playing a number of times and many other things in life that disappointment is part of life and how you handle it is crucial.
“Handling some of those really disappointing England results in the past, that was hard, I found that really difficult, because again the same euphoria that we had comes crashing down.
“You feel high and all together, and then normal life just gets on again.”
William added that he has a “lot of friends” he met through playing football in his youth, as he said that some of the “greatest friendships are born from playing games.”
He even recalled some of his own experiences of playing football throughout his life, and even credited footballing legend Rio Ferdinand, 44, as his “inspiration”.
William joked: “He was ahead of me just a little bit as time went on.”
Spurs striker Harry remembered his father giving him £5 after he scored his first goal when he was five years old, and spoke about the Harry Kane Foundation, which has partnered with Shout.
The England captain said: “I’ve just launched a foundation which is really exciting for me.
“My aim is to, especially to the younger generation, talk to them and try and provide ways of talking about mental health and wellbeing.
“The more we talk about it, and open up, it will definitely help solve and hopefully encourage people not to be afraid to ask for help, especially when you are feeling a little bit lower.”
West Ham captain Rice shared how his love for football came from playing in the garden with his brothers as a child, and he explained how England’s loss in the Euros final last year brought the squad closer together.
He said: “There was a special moment after that game, the togetherness when we all come in a huddle after we’d lost that, and Gareth said some really important words.
“As a group, I think that brought us forward together because then we had to qualify for a World Cup in the next round of games.”
English