On World Mental Health Day, October 10, 2025, Prince William took a deeply personal approach to launch a major new initiative targeting one of the UK’s most urgent public health crises: suicide. In a poignant film released by Kensington Palace, the Prince of Wales visited the Cardiff home of Rhian Mannings, whose family story has become a symbol of both heartbreak and hope in the struggle to confront suicide’s devastating impact.
The meeting, captured on video and shared widely by news outlets including Sky News and Royal Insider, was more than just a royal engagement. It was an emotional reunion between William and Mannings, who lost her husband Paul to suicide in 2012—just five days after the sudden death of their one-year-old son, George, from a hidden illness. The setting was intimate, the conversation raw, and the stakes high: both were determined to shine a light on the persistent stigma surrounding suicide and the urgent need for better support.
During their discussion, Mannings shared the haunting question she asks herself every day. "There's only one thing I would ever say to him if I had time with him, and that would be, 'Why didn't you speak to me?'" she told William, her voice heavy with loss. "He was absolutely devastated, he did keep blaming himself that weekend. But 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 the hardest thing is, we would have been okay." (Sky News)
The conversation took a visibly emotional turn as Prince William, now 43, fought back tears. When Mannings paused to ask, "Are you okay?" the prince replied, "I'm sorry. It's just, it's hard to ask these questions." The moment underscored how even those in positions of public strength are not immune to the pain and complexity of grief and loss.
The timing of the film’s release was no accident. It marked the launch of the Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network, a £1 million project uniting more than 20 organizations across the UK. According to The Royal Foundation, the Network’s mission is ambitious: to transform suicide prevention by understanding root causes, ensuring accessible support, and fostering collaboration and innovation at an unprecedented scale.
“The incredible partners who form this network reach those at risk of, or affected by, suicide with their inspirational work,” Prince William said in a statement. “I have had the privilege of meeting all of the founding partners to see firsthand their powerful community-based efforts to offer hope and support to those who need it most. Their efforts reaffirm the urgent mission of the National Suicide Prevention Network: to build a bold, unified national response to the heartbreaking—and preventable—tragedy of suicide.” (The Royal Foundation)
The scale of the challenge is daunting. Around 7,055 people die by suicide in the UK each year. The Network aims to address this by strengthening universal pathways for prevention, making sure they are evidence-based, effective, and accessible to all who need them. Professor Ann John, a leading expert in suicide and self-harm prevention and Consultant in Public Health Medicine for Public Health Wales, chairs the Network. Her leadership is expected to bring a rigorous, research-driven approach to the initiative.
The Network’s founding partners are a cross-section of the UK’s most impactful charities. They include the Jac Lewis Foundation in Wales, which recently opened a drop-in centre inside Cardiff’s Principality Stadium; James’ Place in England, which is piloting new satellite services for men in crisis in the North; Mikeysline in Scotland, which operates a mobile mental health outreach van for remote communities; and PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland in Northern Ireland, which is expanding a 24-hour crisis helpline. The Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory, also joins as a founding partner.
Each partner brings unique expertise and a community-based model tailored to local needs. For instance, the Jac Lewis Foundation’s new hub in Cardiff was visited by Prince William last month. Elizabeth Thomas-Evans, the charity’s CEO, explained, “From the valleys to the cities, suicide has scarred communities across Wales. Now, thanks to our partnership with The Royal Foundation, anyone who needs help can walk into the Jac Lewis Foundation hub at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff—where we can offer support at a whole new scale.”
James’ Place, which offers free life-saving therapy to men in suicidal crisis, is using Royal Foundation support to extend its reach through community-based services in the North-East and North-West of England. Ellen O’Donoghue, CEO, noted, “As part of the network, we will be able to share valuable insight and learning from this project with partners nationwide.”
Emily Stokes, CEO of Mikeysline, highlighted the challenge of reaching people in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. “Our partnership with The Royal Foundation allows us to buy and staff another much-needed van enabling us to extend our reach even further, and being part of the National Suicide Prevention Network allows us to connect with our colleagues across the UK.”
Renée Quinn, Executive Director of PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland, emphasized the importance of expanded availability: “Our partnership with The Royal Foundation will also allow us to hugely increase our services, funding a 24-hour suicide prevention helpline across Northern Ireland, in order to provide support on Friday nights and weekends when other services are less available.”
Innovation partners, including Mannings’ own charity 2Wish, have received seed funding to deliver targeted projects addressing gaps in support—especially for high-risk and underrepresented groups. The Network’s approach is grounded in the understanding that suicide is shaped by a complex web of social, economic, and personal factors. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but the hope is that by working together, organizations can close gaps in access, strengthen support systems, and generate the awareness and resources needed to save lives.
Throughout the film and the launch, the message was clear: silence and stigma remain formidable barriers. “The best way to prevent suicide is to talk about it. Talk about it early, talk about it to your loved ones, those you trust. So thank you for talking about it,” Prince William told Mannings. She replied, “Thank you for talking about it too.” (Royal Insider)
For Mannings, the pain of loss is matched by a determination to help others. She founded 2Wish to ensure that families facing sudden child loss receive the bereavement support they need and deserve. “Life can throw you these awful curveballs but by talking about it, by having hope, you can continue,” she told the Prince.
The Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network is a bold experiment in collective action. Its success will depend on the willingness of individuals, communities, and institutions to break the silence, confront stigma, and invest in hope. As the UK marks World Mental Health Day, the royal spotlight on suicide prevention may well prove a turning point for thousands of families like the Mannings—families who know all too well what’s at stake when help comes too late.
