Prince William opens up about losing his mother at a young age in a rare interview

Publish Date
Wednesday, 20 February 2019, 8:04AM
Photo / Getty Images

Photo / Getty Images

Prince William recently visited a barber in Essex to discuss mental health issues in the UK.

The Duke met with Ken Hermes, a 28-year-old barber who lost his father at just 15 after he killed himself.

Ken now runs a programme that trains hairdressers and barbers to talk to their clients about mental health while they are cutting their hair.

During the meeting, William and Ken bonded over the fact that they both lost their parent at 15, and the fact that they both have two sons and one daughter.

"It was the proudest moment of my life,' said Ken, when talking about his chat with the Duke. "When I told William my story, he was clearly taken aback."

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"I told him, 'Look we've both been through hell and back but when you lose somebody to suicide it means you spend your life looking for answers."

"We also spoke about being parents and learning how to be more open with our children than our fathers were with us. I think there was a mutual respect between us." 

"I said to him that losing a parent at any age is the hardest thing in the world, but when it's suicide you spend your life asking questions," Ken said.

"We spoke about the pressure of being dads. He said that we tend to father the way we've been fathered, but that it's important to break out of that cycle. Things have changed a lot through those generations and men are much more vulnerable now."

Prince William has been a campaigner for more openness around mental health and launched Heads Together back in 2016.

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