Prince William was overcome with emotion during a deeply personal interview for World Mental Health Day, where he spoke with a grieving mother who lost both her husband and child in heartbreaking circumstances.
The Prince of Wales sat down with Rhian Mannings, who lost her one-year-old son, George, in 2012 — and just five days later, her husband, Paul, took his own life. The conversation, released in a video by Kensington Palace, was part of William’s ongoing effort to shine a light on mental health and suicide prevention.
“I look back and I still don’t know how we survived it,” Mannings shared, recalling the devastating losses that changed her family forever. “We were just so happy, and I think this just shows it really can happen to anyone.”
William, visibly emotional as he listened, asked gently, “Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of stigma around suicide. Did you feel that at the time?”
“I was quite surprised by it,” she replied. “No one would talk about it. It was something that happened on the news — not in real life.”
At one point, the future king became so moved that Mannings paused to comfort him, softly asking, “Are you OK?”
“It’s hard to ask these questions,” William admitted, his voice trembling. “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.”
When asked what she’d say to her late husband if she had the chance, Mannings’ voice broke: “I would just like to sit him down and say, ‘Why didn’t you come to me?’ Because he’s missed out on just so much joy, and we would have been OK.”
The powerful video marked the launch of the Royal Foundation’s new National Suicide Prevention Network, which aims to unite charities across the U.K. to better understand the causes of suicide and improve support for families.
In a statement, Prince William said he hopes to “build a bold, unified national response to the heartbreaking and preventable tragedy of suicide.”
According to the foundation, someone in the U.K. dies by suicide every 90 minutes — a sobering reminder of the urgent need for compassion, awareness, and conversation.
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