Prince William called the prevalence of male suicides in the UK a “national disaster” in a radio show in which he opened up about his approaches to dealing with difficult emotions.
William told a special episode of Radio 1’s Life Hacks that “we need more male role models” to talk openly about their mental health, to help other men do the same, and to have open discussions that are “second nature to all of us”.
During a panel discussion about male suicide with host Greg James, airing Wednesday at 8 p.m., William reflected on his own feelings, saying: “I take a lot of time to understand my emotions and why I feel the way I do, and I think that’s an important process to check in with yourself and find out why you feel the way you do.
“Sometimes there’s a clear explanation, sometimes not. I think a mental health crisis is temporary [is important] – You will experience a severe mental health crisis but it will pass.”
According to the Office for National Statistics, suicide will be the leading cause of death for young people aged 20 to 34 in England and Wales in 2024.
Mental health and suicide are topics that William speaks about frequently, and his Royal Foundation is donating £1m to develop the National Suicide Prevention Network.
He encouraged listeners to “learn to love yourself and understand yourself” and praised support from mental health charities as “that small step” to get people out of difficult moments.
He added: “And if we talk about it more and make people more aware, hopefully suicidal ideation will be pushed further away. Because tomorrow, you may wake up and you may feel very different.”
Asked if his children were open about their feelings, he joked: “Sometimes too much. I get all the details, which I love; it’s amazing.”
The panel also included rapper Professor Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson. He has campaigned on mental health over the years and previously spoke about his father’s suicide in the BBC documentary, Suicide and Me.
The rapper said he wanted to remind people that “these conversations are important and it’s good to have them.”
“I have a young son and I hate to think that he’s growing up in a world where he doesn’t have a circle of friends that he knows he can go to, or that he knows he can access in a time of need, when I’m probably not around,” he said.
Professor Green, who is a supporter of anti-suicide charity Tranquility, said he thought it was “incredibly important” to have Prince William’s support, “not least because of the openness he shows in public, which I don’t think people necessarily expect”.
“But he obviously went through his own life of suffering and experience and things he saw firsthand,” he said. “And I think it helps us shine that kind of light on things that people avoid.”
