As part of the new documentary, Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health, all about men’s mental health, Prince William has opened up about becoming a father and the trials that come with it. The Duke of Cambridge revealed how the death of his mother played a part in his parenting, and he found becoming a father overwhelming and “the biggest life-changing moment,”
In a new teaser for the documentary released on the Kensington Palace Twitter page, William can be seen speaking to former Fulham and Watford Football Club player Marvin Sordell.
In the clip Sordell explains he found the transition to fatherhood difficult. “I became a dad in 2017 for the first time. And it was one of the hardest times in my life,” Sordell explains. “When you’re struggling, who do you go to, where do you go?”
Prince William speaks about how the death of his mother, Princess Diana impacted him as a parent. It's something Sordell, who didn’t know his father, can relate to. “When you’ve been through something traumatic in life... your dad not being around, my mother dying when I was younger, your emotions come back in leaps and bounds,” Prince William says. And while he's clear that parenthood is one of the most amazing moments in life, he also says: “it’s one of the scariest.” Prince William became a father for the first time when his Prince George was born in 2013 he now has two other children Princess Charlotte born in 2015 and Prince Louis, born in 2018.
In Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health, the Duke meets players, fans, and managers as part of his efforts to start the biggest ever conversation on mental health, through football. He speaks to Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, Aston Villa centre back, and England defender Tyrone Mings. The new documentary follows on from similar project of the Duke of Cambridge. In 2019 A Royal Team Talk saw him meet with people from the world of football to talk about the importance of men’s mental health and mental fitness.
Mental health advocacy is something both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have had a particular interested in. Back in 2018, Prince William launched Mental Health at Work in conjunction with charities conjunction with Mind and Heads Together. Prince William and Kate Middleton also discussed the importance of mental health care during the current global health crisis.
'Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health' airs at 8.05 p. m. Thursday, May 28 on BBC One.
