Kate Middleton And Prince William Skipped The Royal Ascot To Open A Mental Health Center
Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, made her grand debut with Prince Harry at the prestigious Royal Ascot Tuesday, but her brother and sister-in-law so far have yet to show up to the five-day event. However, Prince William and Kate Middleton have a really good reason for not going to the annual horse race. Apparently, it’s all for a good cause because Prince William was in Liverpool Tuesday, where he’s been busy officially opening a men’s mental health center for males in suicidal crisis, reports People.
The center was set up by the mother and father of a 21-year-old student, James Wentworth-Stanley, who committed suicide in 2006. According to NPR, James’ Place is the United Kingdom’s first center outside of a hospital or clinic that helps suicidal males by giving them the therapy and counseling they need. Wills opened the mental health center, which is a non-clinical center named James’ Place, in honor of a friend of the family who had committed suicide.
Prince William heard that young and middle-aged males are at an especially high risk for taking their life because they do not use conventional medical services. They often do not seek that type of help because of a sense of shame or associated stigma with the subject.
During the visit to James’ Place, the Duke of Cambridge commented that “Suicide really is quite a big problem, and we don’t talk about it.”
James Wentworth-Stanley’s mother, Clare Milford Haven, was thankful for Prince William’s involvement with the opening of the men’s center. Haven graciously thanked him for, “Bringing the subject out of the shadows.”
She went on to say,
“Very much spurred on by our own tragedy and our own experience of James looking for help when he felt very anxious and suicidal in Newcastle, for him not finding that help, the help he needed anyway.”
“I always felt, had a place like this existed, he might still be here today.”
Prince William often campaigns to raise awareness of mental health issues, saying that his late mother Princess Diana inspires him. Prince William founded the Heads Together campaign in 2017 that raises awareness of issues related to mental health, along with his wife, Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry, his brother. Prince Harry and Kate Middleton are also advocates for promoting mental health awareness.
Prince William additionally traveled to Nottinghamshire to visit injured members of the armed forces on Thursday and officiated the opening of a rehabilitation center for them.
Perhaps after Prince William and Kate Middleton fulfill their obligations, they will be able to join the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Royal Ascot before it ends Saturday.
