The Princess of Wales brought back a blazer by LK Bennett for an engagement marking World Mental Health Day with the Prince of Wales.
A video as the couple arrived.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are in Birmingham and we’re here with them now – we’ll be bringing you live updates on @birmingham_live pic.twitter.com/aTOMOVLX5t
— Naomi deSouza (@naomi_desouza) October 10, 2023
The Prince and Princess hosted Exploring our Emotional Worlds, a forum for 100 young people in Birmingham. Today is the first of three days of mental health engagements for the couple.
Mental health and youth engagement charities nominated the 100 young delegates to the forum. Today’s function focused on “highlighting the importance of managing our emotions and building positive relationships.”
The royals joined young people participating in a series of workshops. In her Town and Country story, Victoria Murphy reports, “Kate took part in a workshop called “Understanding Our Emotions,” where participants took turns in describing their emotions.”
A video via Richard Palmer of The Express.
The couple will be taking part in workshops and discussions on how to manage emotions and build healthy relationships to navigate bumps in the road in life. pic.twitter.com/UykoTUl4WP
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) October 10, 2023
More from Simon Perry’s People story.
…Kate and the others took…turns to describe a feeling from an emotion wheel and the others around the table had to guess what they were explaining.
Sharvari Patil, 21, a volunteer with The Mix, said Kate “was very invested and I thought that she was really listening to us. She got very involved with the games. I felt very well listened to.”
Sharvari added of Kate’s participation: “I was a little bit nervous but because she was very chilled, after she started interacting my nerves left. It was really nice running the workshop and feeling like she was so invested…She really threw herself in and she really embraced it. And she tried to give reflections as well, so when I asked everyone how they found it, I think her reflection was that having better emotional vocabulary would help people talk about their emotions more.”
The Prince and Princess at another workshop.
More from Birmingham Live’s coverage.
..both of them joined two teams of youngsters competing in team building exercises. The exercises involved toilet rolls, spaghetti pipe cleaners and card – prompting William to joke that his team were “miles ahead” of Kate’s.
Louise Lyons-Appiah and Brady Isaacspearce volunteer for Beyond, a youth mental health charity, and were both at the table with the Royals during the exercises. Brady said she spoke about mental health and relationships with William and Kate: “It was brilliant, it is really great learning about things that are crucial in relationships.
Today’s event resulted from a Royal Foundation partnership with The Mix and BBC Radio 1. Here you see the Prince and Princess with BBC talent (from right to left): Katie Thistleton, Vick Hope, and Jordan North.
The royals laughing with Vick Hope and Jordan North.
Some readers will recall the Prince and Princess participating in BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat for last year’s World Mental Health Day.
Both the Prince and Princess delivered remarks at today’s event.
Here is a portion of the Princess’s speech.
Back in 2016, we launched Heads Together, a campaign supported by so many wonderful partners, thathelped break the stigma around mental health, and encouraged more people to have everyday conversations about it.Alongside the efforts of many others, we have seen real change. Today, more people feel empowered to talk about their mental health than ever before. This is a major step forward.
It is important, however, to remind ourselves of the big picture as we meet here today. What are we trying to improve by focusing our efforts on mental health? Ultimately, we are working to build a happier, healthier world.We want to shape fairer, safer, kinder, more equal societies – societies that seek the common good and a better future together.
So, if we talk about mental health with this in mind, it need not have so many negative connotations. We can choose to see our emotional worlds and mental wellbeing in a different light, we can normalise it and recognise it as something we all have, and require, as human beings.
This will be a key focus for us both as we build on Heads Together. Thank you all so much for joining us today. Together, let’s build a brighter, more resilient future.
In a news release, Kensington Palace noted, “Work is currently underway on the next phase of The Prince and Princess’ efforts on this vital issue,” so I think we can look for a significant mental health initiative at some point in the future.
In conjunction with World Mental Health Day, the Royal Foundation released research on young people and mental health—more on the data via this Telegraph article.
The survey, released on World Mental Health Day, found nearly 40 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds questioned felt they were not managing their emotions very well, while 95 per cent of the group said they thought their peers were having some sort of problem with their mental health.
Additional data from the research project:
- Six in ten (59%) 16-24 years old think it’s very important for young people to have greater awareness and understanding of social and emotional skills
- Four in ten (39%) 16–24-year-olds feel that they don’t manage their emotions very well
- Around two-thirds (65%) of 16-24-year-olds say their mental health is very important to them
You can read the full research report here.
Now for our look at what Kate wore.
Many will have recognized the Mya Yellow Tailored Jacket (no longer available) by LK Bennett. Made of a viscose/rayon blend, it features curved peak lapels, a single horn-effect button at the front with one at each cuff, and welt pockets.
The jacket was first worn in May for a Mental Health Awareness Week engagement.
The color is likely a nod to the Hello Yellow campaign from Young Minds, the “UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health.”
Beneath the jacket, it looked like the Princess wore her Boden Cashmere Crewneck ($175, now sold out, similar style available here), first noted in February 2022.
Today’s trousers could be the Roland Mouret’ Axon’ style, but it is difficult to tell without better photos.
We saw the return of the black Russell & Bromley “100 Point Blade Heels” and the black Anderson Croc-Effect Belt ($190).
The Princess wore her hair down.
The earrings worn by the Princess today carry a message as well as being a promise kept. You may remember when a pair of earrings was given to the Princess in May by Maidenhead Rugby Club coach Sarah Renton, seen below with the Princess.
The earrings were made in memory of her daughter, Issy, who took her life earlier this year. The Princess promised Sarah Renton she would wear the earrings when receiving the gift. The Issy Star Earrings ($32) were designed by Issy’s cousin, Sophie, and are available at Earsass, Sophie’s online shop.
Earsass is donating £5 to mental health charity Brave Mind for every pair sold. Bonnie F. purchased the earrings and commented about them on today’s post, saying, “they are very well-made, seamlessly snapping shut. I love them…. they are a simple, classic style that goes with anything, yet a little more unique than just hoops. And I think of their significance every time I wear them.” UPDATE OCT 12: Because of the enormous interest in the earrings, they are now available for preordering, with a 4-6 week window expected for delivery.
Kensington Palace posted on social media following today’s engagement.
Today is #WorldMentalHealthDay and a reminder to prioritise our mental wellbeing 🧠
It’s always so insightful listening to young people share their experiences, and today’s event ‘Exploring our #EmotionalWorlds’ has been full of important conversations. pic.twitter.com/g9txbkg5Nb
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 10, 2023
I expect to see you again in the next few days as the Prince and Princess have additional mental health engagements.
VIDEOS:
The Royal Family Channel has almost three minutes of coverage in this video.
Cersei
Friday 13th of October 2023
Three things that come to mind: 1.) I love a yellow that isn’t mustard! I’d buy this color in a heartbeat. 2.) I knew she’s a Hufflepuff 3.) 🍆. 🥴. ❤️😂. (answer if you know what I mean 😉)
MaryAnne
Thursday 12th of October 2023
We also use bright yellow in the "R U OK" campaign in Australia.
Kate looks great (except the bangs) and it's great for both her and William to highlight the importance of mental health and well-being
Tracy
Thursday 12th of October 2023
Boring. That’s what came to my mind when I saw this look. Bee was my second thought. Third thought? What is going on with her hair?! That’s not to say that she doesn’t look perfectly fine or professional or respectful. But it is pretty boring. To be fair I don’t know what would have livened it up a bit. Maybe a flower pin, lol, that’s a little joke.
Vicki
Saturday 14th of October 2023
@Tracy, Totally agree. Not a fan of the fringe/bangs.
Lee B.
Wednesday 11th of October 2023
I've made my peace with the bangs (fringe) as it has grown out a bit. But really, she is sooo personable and photogenic, which makes anything she wears looks great.
Ava Pittman
Wednesday 11th of October 2023
I love this yellow jacket, beautifully tailored, fits perfectly. Worn with the black ensemble, fabulous.!