Prince William reveals death of mum Princess Diana prompted him to speak out about mental health

PRINCE William has followed in brother Harry’s footsteps by revealing it was their mother’s death that prompted him to talk about mental health issues.

The Duke of Cambridge, 34, will discuss his feelings after Princess Diana was killed in a 1997 car crash for a BBC1 documentary.

The dad of two said: “I have my reasons for getting involved with mental health with what happened with my mum when I was younger. I still feel the shock within me.”

His comments come after Harry, 32, said he found himself in a state of “total chaos” and close to a “complete breakdown” in dealing with the grief.

The royal pair appear in show Mind Over Marathon, in which ten unlikely runners affected by mental health issues train for this Sunday’s London Marathon.

William is asked about his mum by competitor Rhian Burke, whose husband Paul took his own life five days after their one-year-old son George died following a seizure.

She asked him: “When your mum passed away you were a bit older than my children.

“I worry about them growing up. They’ll be OK won’t they?”

Wills replied: “They’ll be absolutely fine. With a mum like you they’ll be absolutely fine.

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“Like you said, the shock is the biggest thing.

“I still feel 20 years later with my mother . . .   I still feel the shock within me.

“You think shock can’t last that long but it does. You never get over it.

“It’s such an unbelievably big moment in your life.

“It never leaves you, you just learn to deal with it.

You’ll provide the blanket of security and understanding that they’ll need. You doing this is a hugely positive step.”

He also said society is on the cusp of a breakthrough in the understanding of mental health.

The Duke added: “We need to make mental health normal.

“Working with the air ambulance at the moment I’ve seen a lot of sad situations involving suicide and self-harm.

“It’s a tragedy we’re not talking about it. The more we can get people talking about mental health the better as the silence is killing people.”

William’s wife Kate also features in the two-part documentary.

• Mind Over Marathon airs tomorrow night on BBC1 at 9pm.