Prince William became visibly emotional during a deeply personal conversation with Rhian Mannings, a mother who lost both her young son and her husband within days, as part of a new video released by Kensington Palace to mark World Mental Health Day. The discussion was aimed at highlighting suicide prevention efforts and the launch of the Royal Foundation's new National Suicide Prevention Network.
Sitting down with Mannings at her home in south Wales, the 43-year-old royal listened as she recounted the loss of her one-year-old son, George, who died suddenly in 2012, followed just five days later by her husband Paul's suicide. "He's missed out on so much joy, and we would've been OK. And I think that's what the hardest thing is - we would've been OK," Mannings told William, holding back tears.
The prince, whose own mother Princess Diana died in a car crash when he was 15, grew emotional as Mannings described her grief. "Sorry, it's hard to ask you questions," William said, briefly turning away before reaching out to take her hand. Mannings gently reminded him, "You've experienced loss yourself."
When asked what she would say to her husband if given the chance, Mannings replied, "Why didn't you speak to me? ... Why didn't you come to me?" She said Paul "kept blaming himself" for George's death and had been "absolutely devastated." She added, "Before we lost George, we were just so happy, and I think this shows that it really can happen to anyone."
William emphasized the importance of communication in suicide prevention. "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," he said, noting that "there's still a lot of stigma around suicide." Mannings agreed, saying she "had never been touched by suicide" before her husband's death and found the silence surrounding it "really confusing at the time."
The video also featured messages about the new National Suicide Prevention Network, an initiative by the Royal Foundation uniting charities across the U.K. to "transform suicide prevention." Mannings' own charity, 2Wish, which supports families who have lost a child or young adult, will join the network. According to statistics cited in the video, someone in the U.K. dies by suicide every 90 minutes.
Reflecting on her life since the tragedy, Mannings said she remains focused on her two surviving children, Hollie and Isaac. "They've just grown up to be incredible kids and young adults," she said. "I look back, and I still don't really know how we survived it. People ask me that a lot. Like, 'How'd you do it?' And I don't really know."
William's openness in discussing grief and emotional health marks a shift from the traditionally stoic approach of the British monarchy. In a recent conversation with actor Eugene Levy, the prince described 2024 as "the hardest [year] he's ever had," citing his wife Princess Catherine's and King Charles's cancer battles. He also said he hopes to bring "change for good" to the monarchy and not "go back to some of the practices in the past."
As the conversation closed, a message on-screen read: "The Royal Foundation is uniting charities across the four home nations to transform suicide prevention in the U.K. through a new National Suicide Prevention Network."
