The Prince of Wales visited Rhian Manning at her home
Prince William in tears (Image: Kensington Palace )
Prince William was in tears during a conversation with a woman who tragically lost her husband to suicide. The Prince of Wales paid a visit to Rhian Manning at her home to discuss the loss of her husband Paul in 2012. The meeting was part of a video filmed to commemorate World Mental Health Day on Friday.
The future king was seen struggling to hold back tears as he sat with Rhian in her kitchen, discussing her devastating loss which occurred just days after the death of their infant son George.
William said: “From the families I’ve spoken to who have had to endure suicide.
“There’s a lot of unanswered questions that live with you forever, really, don’t they? … If you could say something, or wanted to say something to Paul. What would you … what would you have said?”.
Prince William and Rhian Manning (Image: Kensington Palace )
Rhian said: “I would just like to sit him down like this and just say, ‘Why didn’t you come to me?’ Because he’s missed out on just so much joy, and we would have been okay.
“And I think that’s what’s hardest – we would have been okay.”
At this point, William appeared visibly emotional, prompting Rhian to ask: “Are you OK?”.
The Royal touched her hand and replied: “I’m sorry. It’s just … it’s hard to ask these questions that I … “.
Rhian then comforted him, saying: “No, it’s fine. It’s just … you’ve got children. It’s hard … and you’ve experienced loss yourself ..
“Life can throw you these awful curveballs, but by talking about it, by, you know, having hope, you can continue.”
Paul and his son George before their death
William continued: “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.”
Following her husband’s death, Rhian established the charity 2 Wish Upon A Star, which supports others impacted by the loss of a child or young person.
William has contributed over £1 million via his Royal Foundation towards creating the UK’s National Suicide Prevention Network.