'Such A Critical Time For Support!' Royal Fans Hail Prince William For Doing His Part To Help Prevent Suicides

June 21, 2018

Over the years, the Duke of Cambridge has been involved in a number of charity works. He has supported all kinds of organizations and has been one of the most influential voices when it comes to the fight for mental health in the UK. Now, Prince William is taking things even further.

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Suicide prevention for men

The Kensington Palace has announced, via Instagram, that Prince William opened James Place, a center dedicated to providing "face-to-face support for men in their time of need."

Suicide is the biggest cause of death for men under 35 — @JamesPlaceUK, opened by The Duke of Cambridge, will be the first centre of its kind in the UK to provide face-to-face support for men in their time of need. Founded by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley after they tragically lost their 21 year old son, the centre will provide a private, welcoming and normalised environment for men experiencing suicidal thoughts.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 20, 2018 at 9:01am PDT

According to the palace statement, the center was founded by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley. The idea was born out of their need to help others following the death of their 21-year-old son.

The palace informed that this center will provide a safe and welcoming environment for men who often experience suicidal thoughts and need help getting through the fog.

Our Time To Talk. 💙 Today we were filming with @bbcbreakfast to talk about the opening of James’ Place and our reasons behind creating this non-clinical centre for men in suicidal crisis. The importance of spreading awareness of mental health but especially suicide amongst men, is of huge significance to us and we believe the more we can get people, particularly men, to talk and reach out for help, the more lives we can save. Tune in tomorrow morning (Tuesday 19th June) to BBC Breakfast to hear more...💙

A post shared by James’ Place UK (@jamesplaceuk) on Jun 18, 2018 at 10:30am PDT

In response to the announcement, James Place appreciated the Duke for visiting the center and also the royal's dedication to "raise awareness of mental health through the Heads Together campaign."

Praises for William

It's pretty clear from the comments following the Kensington Palace's Instagram post, that people consider this a worthy cause.

What a memorable day yesterday was. We cannot thank you all enough for your incredible support of our project, especially HRH The Duke of Cambridge for taking the time to come and open James’ Place and the #RowForJames team for rowing across the Atlantic and providing us with the funds needed to create our space. 💙 @kensingtonroyal @trippettspolo 🎥 @duncansmith_film

A post shared by James’ Place UK (@jamesplaceuk) on Jun 20, 2018 at 12:27am PDT

It was pointed out that while there are several support systems and safe spaces for troubled women, men need a little bit more help. One user, @Stormys05 who commented on the Palace's statement shared:

thank you for bringing awareness to this cause. I lost my dad to suicide and know first hand that it’s not discussed enough.

Another user, @myturn2cry07, shared how her own husband committed suicide at 58 and added:

Men need to know its ok to be vulnerable and to ask for help. It is not a weakness but a strength of character to ask for help.

Donation by the Kate Spade foundation

It has been revealed that Kate Spade New York will also be pitching in to help prevent suicides. The company plans to make a donation of up to $1 million to support mental health awareness as a tribute to its late founder.

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We hope that as we come together to help one another, the mental health problems will fade and more people will be brave enough to seek help when they need it.