Prince William has revealed that his time working as an air ambulance pilot took a toll on him that he would often take back home to his family after his shift ended. Speaking at an event to launch his Mental Health At Work initiative, he said: "You're just seeing all the sad things, all the pain everyday," as he chatted to senior paramedic Dawn Anderson, who has recovered from post traumatic stress disorder with help from her employer. He added: "I took a lot home without realising it."
William chatted openly with guests at the event
"If you see sad things every day, you think all life is like that… I think that for the medical community, particularly, it must weigh a lot on their minds," he continued. "That you're always dealing with despair, sadness, injury, things that are really quite troubling. The attrition builds up and you don't really have the opportunity to off-load it."
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William left the air ambulance service in the summer of 2017 – and launched Heads Together with the Royal Foundation in May 2016. William, Kate and Prince Harry have all spoken candidly about their own mental health struggles, in a bid to raise awareness. And in 2017, William admitted that it was his wife's idea to launch the project – could her husband's own experiences have played a part? "It was Catherine who first realised that all three of us were working on mental health in our individual areas of focus," he said.
All three royals – though they are now joined by the Duchess of Sussex on the campaign, too – have shown a passion for a particular area of mental health, with William often speaking out on men's issues. At the launch in 2016, he said: "My thing really is to get more men talking about their issues before it is too late, and to stop feeling so strong and unable to seek help."
