Watch Princes William and Harry Talk About Losing Their Mom with Kate Middleton
The work that Princes William and Harry and Kate Middleton have been doing with Heads Together and their #OKToSay campaign is life-changing. Just a few days ago, Harry revealed the near breakdowns he's had as a result of never really dealing with the death of his mother Princess Diana. And now the trio are talking more about the impact of losing a parent at a young age and the importance of mental health in a Facebook Live video earlier today, posted by The British Monarchy.
The duchess's aim with the campaign and work is "to show people how to have those simple conversations and starting those conversations, which is the hardest bit really." We couldn't agree more.
"We've never really talked about losing your mother at such a young age," Harry states. "And when you speak to other people and little kids, you think 'Wow. I don't want them to have to go through the same things.' With a little bit of experience, you want to help as much as you can and try to empower them to have that conversation. To be brave enough with themselves to talk about it at a young age, rather than bottling it up for far too young."
Middleton has been most impressed with William and Harry's strength and bond through it all. "Considering everything that you boys sadly went through and the trauma that you experienced, I do particularly at work within early intervention that I'd been doing in the early years, think it's incredible how strong you are and how you've been able to cope really," she expresses. "And I put that down to your really early years and your childhood experience, but also the relationship you've got. You're amazingly close."
William jokingly adds, "Most of the time."
The duchess continues, "Some families sadly aren't as lucky as yours has been."
William knows for sure that their mother's untimely death brought him and his brother closer together. "You are uniquely bonded because of what we've been through," he affirms. "But even Harry and I over the years, have not talked enough about our mother."
Harry agreed and admitted that there's really no such thing as talking about her too often, despite his previous thoughts. "I always thought to myself, 'What's the point of bringing up the past?," he says. "'What's the point of bringing up something that will only make you sad? It ain't gonna change it. It ain't gonna bring her back.' And when you start thinking like that, it can be really damaging, but you [William] always said to me 'You've gotta sit down and think about those memories.' For me it was like, I don't want to think about it."
RELATED: Prince Harry Pays Tribute to Princess Diana in a Powerful Speech About Landmines
William's most important lesson from all they've been through is to prioritize your mental health. "It's very easy to walk away from it and avoid it," he reminds us all. "Someone has to be brave enough to take the lead and force that conversation."
We know their work is changing lives and we look forward to having more tough, yet fruitful conversations like this that really impact the world with positive change.
Watch the full conversation in the above video.