Royal fab four join forces to make TV history in landmark campaign
Despite rumours of a royal rift, Harry and Meghan have reunited with William and Catherine for a landmark mental health campaign.
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The royal fab four, William, Catherine, Harry and Meghan, are due to take over Britain’s television screens for a landmark mental health campaign.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will narrate a three-minute advertisement for a mental health campaign, which will air at 6.45am Australian time on Tuesday.
The royals, who have been long advocates of better mental health support, have joined the Every Mind Matters initiative, a public health campaign from the UK’s treasured National Health Service.
They will not be alone though.
X-Files star Gillian Anderson, actress Glenn Close, former cricketer Freddie Flintoff and a host of UK stars will also be a part of the film, which will air on Sky, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5 and MTV at 6.45am Australian time on Tuesday (8.45pm local time on Monday).
More than 10 million viewers were expected to see it live, with millions more to catch up on social media and streaming platforms.
Controversially, the public broadcaster, the BBC, will not show the important announcement.
William, 37, says in the video: “Everyone knows that feeling, when life gets on top of us.
“All over the country, millions of us face challenges to our mental health - at all ages - at all intensities, and for all sorts of reasons.
“We feel stressed, low, anxious, or have trouble sleeping. Me, you...”
Harry, 35, continues: “...your brother, your mother, your colleague, or your neighbour. Waiting, wondering, hoping, hurting.
“We think there’s nothing to be done. Nothing we can do about it.”
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Meghan, 38, then counters: “But that’s so wrong. There are things we can do. From today, there’s a new way to help turn things around. Every Mind Matters will show you simple ways to look after your mental health.”
Catherine, 37, continues: “It’ll get you started with a free online plan designed to help you deal with stress, boost your mood, improve your sleep and feel more in control.”
Viewers will be directed to a website, which has been endorsed by the UK’s Royal College of GPs, where they will be able to take a health quiz and then be offered a personalised “mind plan” with practical tips around managing anxiety, low mood, sleep and stress.
Health officials hope it will empower people to practically manage their symptoms to stop their mental health escalating, which would in time reduce pressure on clinical services and free up capacity.
The website also points users to existing apps which can help them keep track of good habits to protect their wellbeing.
It comes as a new survey of more than 3,000 adults in England found that 83 per cent of people had experienced early signs of poor mental health in the last year including feeling anxious, stressed, having low mood or trouble sleeping
Over a quarter of these waited longer than six months before taking action, with more than half reporting coping mechanisms including smoking, drinking or unhealthy eating and avoiding social situations.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the project harnessed the power of modern technology to do good when we know it also can help contribute to some of these problems.
He added: “It draws together the importance of treating our mental health on an equal basis to our physical health, and treating it both as an asset that each individual needs to invest in, supported by the NHS and by the Government, as opposed to just something that just needs to be fixed when it goes wrong.”
stephen.drill@news.co.uk
Originally published as Royal fab four join forces to make TV history in landmark campaign