The Duke of Cambridge has been praised by a grieving mother, whose son tragically died while swimming with school friends in May last year. The royal, who was a part of the East Anglian Air Ambulance and worked as a former RAF search and rescue pilot, was hailed for his "bravery" as he tried to save the boy's life. Robbie Lea was found under almost 15ft of water in Lee Valley Park in Hertfordshire after he had gone swimming. His mother, Sarah Lea, has opened up about the painful story, telling The Mirror: "I can't thank Prince William enough. For what he did to try to save my son on that terrible day and for now speaking out on mental health issues."
Prince William worked with the East Anglian Air Ambulance
She added: "I've struggled to get the right support for Mason. But I certainly haven't been let down by Prince William. It shows our future king is human. It was a brave thing to do." However, Ms Lea revealed that she and her seven-year-old son Mason felt "let down by the system" as they continue to come to terms with the loss of her elder son's death. Earlier this week, William – a known advocate of mental health – detailed his own struggle as he opened up about how his mental health changed when he became a parent. "I worked on several traumatic jobs involving children and after I had my own I think the relation between the job and my personal life is what took me over the edge," he said.
MORE: See Prince William's reaction when Emma Thompson tries to steal a kiss from him
"I started feeling things I've never felt before and I got very sad and very down about this particular family," the father-of-three continued, later adding: "You don’t want to share with your loved ones because you just don’t want to bring that sort of stuff home. So the only place you can talk about it is at work and if you don’t necessarily have the right tools or the right environment at work, you can see why things can snowball and get quite bad."
MORE: Prince William reveals how Prince Charles has inspired the way he raises his own children