Royal Family Attends London Marathon to Campaign for Mental Health

Photo credit: Kensington Palace/Twitter
Photo credit: Kensington Palace/Twitter
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Over the weekend, London Marathon participants were greeted by some very special guests. Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince Harry attended the event Sunday as part of an ongoing campaign to support mental health.

The royals pushed the red buzzer to announce the start of the marathon and distributed medals to runners as they crossed the finish line, ABC News reported.

Hundreds of marathon participants united under the slogan “Heads Together,” which is also the name of the organization William, Kate, and Harry founded to encourage conversations surrounding mental health. The group has partnered with charities that support British youth, veterans, and the homeless.

From the Heads Together website:

There has been huge progress made to tackle stigma surrounding mental health in recent decades, but it still remains a key issue driven by negative associations, experience and language. Through this campaign, Their Royal Highnesses are keen to build on the great work that is already taking place across the country, to ensure that people feel comfortable with their everyday mental wellbeing, feel able to support their friends and families through difficult times, and that stigma no longer prevents people getting help they need.

As part of the campaign, the royals have opened up about their own mental health battles.

Days before the marathon, Prince Harry shared that it took him nearly two decades to seek grief counseling following the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. It was his brother, William, who encouraged him to get help, ABC reported.

Last year, Prince William penned a heartfelt Father’s Day message, encouraging dads everywhere to speak to their kids about mental health.

“It is often said that fathers can often find it hard to talk about their own feelings so there’s no wonder they struggle to speak to their son or daughter about the topic,” the father of two wrote in the column published by Britain’s Sunday Express. “But we don’t really have a choice.”

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