Prince William has kicked off his royal tour of Scotland by visiting a football league in Edinburgh to discuss how the young men are coping with their mental health wellness. The Duke of Cambridge spoke with the players and even played some football, his favorite sport.
William told the players that men are "really susceptible" to develop mental health issues because of their tendency to "bottle it up." It's even worse during the lockdowns because there are fewer outlets for people to unload the baggage they are carrying.
The Mental Health Football and Wellbeing League in Scotland, which is also the home of the Spartans FC, has been using sports as an outlet for mental wellness. Some of the players told William that having good mental health is important for their performance in the game as well.
They said that being in this league has allowed them to open up to each other and discuss their feelings and personal life. The men also said that having a mental health program in the league is a step in the right direction, especially for the young players.
William's visit comes as his brother, Prince Harry, has also been speaking about mental health. However, Harry has been focusing on his personal struggles and coping mechanisms after the death of his mother more than 25 years ago.
Princess Diana's boys have been advocates for mental health wellness for years. The brothers have also come together to issue a statement slamming BBC for its recent findings into how the network's program, Panorama, fooled their mother into opening up about the state of her marriage to Prince Charles in an interview with Martin Bashir.
BBC issued an apology to William and Harry, the royal family, and the Spencer Family after it was discovered in an independent interview that Bashir deceived Diana with fake documents to convince her to sit down and talk. The Panorama interview was a factor in her divorce with Prince Charles because it was what drove the queen to finally tell her heir and his first wife to dissolve their marriage.
William and Harry both believe that the Panorama interview damaged their mother's life. They both expressed discouragement over how the interview was arranged through Bashir's scheming.
The Duke of Cambridge also said in a video statement that this interview further fueled his mother's paranoia, which pushed the narrative that she was mentally unstable. He said that this worsened the relationship of his parents. It's unclear, however, if Prince William will pursue legal action against BBC.
