Prince William gets emotional in documentary about the impact of suicide

Prince William became emotional while speaking about the impact of suicide and the importance of supporting those at risk, in a new film released to mark World Mental Health Day.

The Prince of Wales met with Rhian Mannings whose husband took his own life just days after their one-year-old son George died suddenly in 2012.

The future King was visibly moved as the two discussed grief and the lasting pain of losing loved ones to suicide.

William first met Mannings in 2017 and earlier this month as he visited her home in Cardiff to continue their heartfelt conversation.

He also met her mother, Chris Jones, and her two children, Isaac, 16, and Holly, 17.

At the beginning of the film, Mannings shared, “It’s really difficult to explain how grief feels. Emptiness, physical pain, your head hurts, your limbs hurt, you ache but when you lose somebody to suicide, it leaves so many questions unanswered.”

She added, “Let’s stand together, let’s talk about it. Let’s get people in the public eye talking about it. We can help each other, this really doesn’t have to be what happens.”

During their conversation, Prince William asked her, “If you could say something, or wanted to say something to Paul, what would you have said?”

George's mother replied, “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?’... He’s missed out on just so much joy, and we would have been OK.”

As William grew emotional, Rhian Mannings asked, “Are you okay?” and he replied, “I’m sorry. It is just, it’s hard to ask these questions.”

The film also marks the launch of The Royal Foundation’s Suicide Prevention Network, which will focus on tackling the causes of suicide and improving support across the UK.