Cressida Bonas took to social media with a heartbreaking family update on Monday.
Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend, 35, shared an interview given by her husband HWS who spoke about his brother James, who died by suicide. Cressida shared screenshots of her husband's interview with The Times, during which he detailed the sad event.
"I thought I knew everything about James, but the reality is there was one place he wouldn’t go — talking about these anxious and dark feelings," Harry said of his late brother, who was admitted to A&E after struggling with suicidal thoughts.
After being classed as a "low priority," he left the waiting room and just days later, as the family gathered for Christmas, he tragically died by suicide.
"It knocked me sideways," said Harry, who was 17 at the time. "I wasn’t equipped to deal with something like that. You never imagine a scenario as traumatic as a very close loved one taking their life."
Since then, Harry and his family have set up James' Place, a charity offering free life-saving treatment for men experiencing a suicidal crisis. Men can either self-refer or be referred by a GP, mental health practitioner, or voluntary organisation.
Cressida and Harry married in 2020 and share their son Wilbur.
The update came just weeks after Cressida opened up about the loss of her sister, Pandora Cooper-Key, who died in July aged 51 after suffering from cancer.
Following her funeral in September, Cressida penned a heartfelt piece in The Sunday Times, where she opened up about the grief she was feeling, particularly about not being able to "talk about raising sons," as Pandora was a mother to two sons, Bow, 17, and Nestor, 14.
She wrote: "I wish I could talk to her about raising sons, as I’m also now the mother of a baby boy. Her boys are teenagers, and I’m just starting out with an almost two-year-old, so she had already walked the path that I’m beginning.
© Nick Harvey/Shutterstock"I have a journal filled with scribbles and notes from conversations with my sisters. On one page, I had written down something Pandora said just after I’d given birth to a boy: 'No matter what, they’ll always love and want to protect their mums.'"
She later added: "During my last moments with her, I got to hold her tight and say: 'Thank you for being my big sister.'"
If you have been affected by this story and wish to seek help, Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year.
