Prince William chokes up as he discusses impact of suicide
Europe
By
AFP
| Oct 10, 2025
Britain's Prince William fought back tears as he discussed the impact of suicide with a woman whose husband took his own life, in a video released Friday to mark World Mental Health Day.
The heir to the throne talked with campaigner Rhian Mannings, whose husband Paul died in 2012, five days after their one-year-old son George died following a seizure.
William, 43, became visibly emotional after asking Mannings what she would have said to her husband, as the two sat talking in her kitchen in Cardiff, Wales.
"I would just like to sit him down like this and just say, 'Why didn't you come to me?" said the mother of two teenagers.
"Because he's missed out on just so much joy, and we would have been okay. And I think that's what the hardest thing is, we would have been okay."
READ MORE
Government tightens oversight on Saccos to safeguard members' deposits
KRA targets 5 million tax filers with WhatsApp option
Apple at 50: eight technology leaps that changed our world
Kenya's push to maximise Sh95 billion circular economy
Interest income, foreign exchange trade: Where banks cut earnings in 2025
Domestic workers push for rights as Kenya eyes key labour reforms
Britam profit jumps 10pc to Sh5.5b despite rise in claims
What is the future of trade unions in the current world?
PS lauds Safaricom for advancing AI to boost job creation, spur digitisation
CAK raids Foam Mattress firms in probe into anti-competitive practices
William, whose mother Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris in 1997 when he was 15 years old, looked up and put his hand over his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Mannings asked him.
William reached out to touch her hand and told her: "I'm sorry. I just, it's hard to ask you the questions."
Mannings, who set up the charity 2wish to support families affected by the sudden death of a child, told him: "No it's fine. It's just you've got children. It's hard and you've experienced loss yourself."
William first met Mannings in 2017 as part of a mental health campaign that he started with his wife Catherine and now-estranged younger brother Prince Harry.
Friday's footage, released by Kensington Palace, coincided with the launch of a new national suicide prevention network, spearheaded by William and Catherine's philanthropic foundation.
"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," William said to Mannings.