Prince William Shares Candid Mental Health Reflections in Powerful BBC Radio 1 Interview

Prince William has spoken candidly about the value of taking time to understand my emotions while taking part in an open discussion focused on mental health.

The Prince of Wales, who has consistently supported initiatives addressing men’s mental health and suicide prevention, said that speaking openly about such challenges can help these conversations become second nature to us all.

In a special episode of Radio 1’s Life Hack, William joined presenter Greg James, rapper Professor Green, and representatives from the charity James’ Place, which provides free, life-saving support for men experiencing suicidal crisis. It is understood the Prince chose to participate in order to draw greater national attention to the issue, particularly encouraging younger audiences to engage in conversations about mental wellbeing.

In the pre-recorded episode, the Prince reflects on his own experiences while encouraging others to learn to love yourself and understand yourself.

He explained that he often takes time to reflect on his emotions and understand the reasons behind how he feels, describing this as an important process of regularly checking in with oneself.

As he said: I take a long time trying to understand my emotions and why I feel like I do, and I feel like that’s a really important process to do every now and again, to check in with yourself and work out why you’re feeling like you do.

He added that while some emotional struggles have clear causes, others may not, but emphasized that even severe mental health difficulties can be temporary.

In his words: Sometimes there’s an obvious explanation, sometimes there isn’t. I think that idea that mental health crisis is temporary – you can have a strong mental health crisis moment but it will pass.

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William also highlighted the importance of openly sharing one’s feelings with others, explaining that becoming comfortable discussing mental health starts with gaining a better understanding of it.

As he said: Part of feeling comfortable talking about mental health is understanding it.

He further stressed the need for more men to openly discuss mental health, helping make such conversations feel normal and accessible for everyone.

As he said: We need more male role models out there, talking about it and normalising it, so that it becomes second nature to all of us.

Announcing the special edition of Radio 1’s Life Hacks, breakfast presenter Greg James explained that the goal was to encourage open discussion while keeping the tone approachable and supportive.

He said: We wanted it to really help people and get the conversation going. He added: We didn’t want it to be too heavy.

The episode centres on mental health and male suicide, bringing together contributors with both personal and professional insight, and follows the launch of The Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network last autumn.

William was joined in the discussion by musician and mental health advocate Professor Green, who previously appeared in a BBC documentary about his father’s suicide to raise awareness of the issue as the leading cause of death among men under 45 in the UK. Rapper and long-time campaigner for men’s wellbeing, Guvna B, also took part.

They were also joined by Allan Brownrigg, Director of Clinical Services at James’ Place, along with Nathan, who spoke openly about reaching crisis point and finding help through the charity.

Three of the panellists, all fathers, discussed the importance of teaching children how to recognise and process their emotions.

When asked whether his own children openly share their feelings, William responded humorously, admitting that they sometimes tell him more than he expects, while acknowledging the challenge parents can feel when trying to support their children emotionally.

As he joked: Sometimes too much. I get all the details. Which I love, it’s amazing. Being able to understand it, have time for it, decipher it, sometimes you feel the sense that you need to fix it for everyone and that I find quite difficult. I have to remind myself that you don’t have to fix everything but you do have to listen. And it’s important to be ok with those feelings and those comments.

During the broader conversation, William also spoke about how his time working in emergency services affected his own mental wellbeing and why he remains committed to supporting mental health initiatives.

Looking back on his service as an air ambulance pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance between 2015 and 2017, he explained that the emotional weight of the role gradually took a toll on him, though he did not initially realise it.

He reflected: Over time I noticed my mental health really deteriorating, and I hadn’t really clocked onto it because in that community you try and make light of some of the moments just to keep, frankly, sane and just to keep going.

He added that it was only after stepping away for a longer break that he recognised how much emotional strain he had been carrying from the traumatic situations he encountered on duty.

In his words: It wasn’t until I stepped out of it on a longer break that I looked at myself and I thought, ‘My god I’m carrying everyone’s emotional baggage’. What I was doing, I was taking snippets of each job I’ve been on, each family member that had been distraught or whatever, and I was carrying that in myself and it was really weighing me down.

Based at Cambridge Airport, William worked alongside medical crews providing emergency care across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Throughout the hour-long episode, he also argued for stronger mental health support for emergency service personnel, including mandatory rest periods. He additionally highlighted services available to young people, such as the text-based support service SHOUT.

The west London initiative offers round-the-clock free text support for young people experiencing emotional distress, including suicidal thoughts, particularly for those who may feel uncomfortable speaking on the phone. The crisis support service currently receives around 2,000 messages each day.

The Shout helpline was introduced in 2018 by Mental Health Innovations, a charity created by the Royal Foundation, reflecting William’s long-standing commitment to improving mental health support.

After the broadcast, Professor Green spoke about the Prince’s involvement, noting that despite being born into royalty, William has experienced deeply personal loss that connects him to many others facing grief.

He said: He was born a prince, but he lost his mum in front of the world. That’s really significant – from someone who’s also lost a parent in an equally horrible way – that’s suffering, that’s human, no title helps you escape from that.

He also praised William’s openness and communication style, saying: That’s something that he’s gone through and for him to show up in the way that he does and be as open and honest. He’s just so articulate … He strikes me as a real empath.

To mark World Mental Health Day in October, the future king visited Rhian Mannings, whose husband died by suicide. During a meeting over tea and cake, William appeared deeply moved while listening to her account of the devastating personal impact of such loss.

During the conversation, he stressed the importance of open discussion in preventing suicide.

As he said: The best way to prevent suicide is to talk about it. Talk about it early. Talk about it with your loved ones, those you trust, your friends. So thank you for talking about it.

The significant video also coincided with the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Network, an initiative created by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, which operates across all four nations of the UK and seeks to strengthen and improve suicide prevention efforts nationwide.

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