Seven years after the creation of their charity to protect the mental health of young Britons, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, Prince William and Prince Harry are facing a crisis they probably didn’t see coming…
The extent of mental health problems affecting young people is worsening in the UK, seven years after the intervention of the Prince and Princess of Wales and Prince Harry. This was revealed on 12 August by our British colleagues in the Daily Express. At the time, the three members of the royal family, keen to put an end to the stigmatisation of mental problems, urged young people in difficulty to speak out and admit to suffering from anxiety, depression and other problems. To this end, they have founded Heads Together, an association that promotes the preservation of mental health.
The worry is that the number of young people seeking this help has soared, as has the waiting time to receive treatment. According to data from mental health charity YougMinds, nearly 1.5 million young people under the age of 18 were referred to child and adolescent mental health services in 2022, a 76% increase on 2019. Many of them will have to wait at least two years for sustained support from the NHS, against a backdrop of acute shortages of psychologists, therapists and other professionals. In 2022, some 250,000 young people with mental health problems were refused any help.
Princes at loggerheads, the princess plays matchmaker
Faced with this growing crisis, the royal family will have to roll up their sleeves. But of course, there’s a slight problem that springs to mind. How to solve this problem when the three founders of the Heads Together association are no longer speaking to each other? To be more precise, Princes William and Harry have been out of touch for months.
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton is doing everything she can to bring the two men back together. Unfortunately, her efforts seem superfluous. According to a source close to the Palace, interviewed by our British colleagues at the Daily Express, “the heir to the throne has made it clear that he is not yet ready to renew his relationship with his brother”. Under the circumstances, it’s hard to see how the three protagonists will be able to sit down and think of a way to help young Britons.
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