Prince William and Princess Kate Step Out in Liverpool for World Suicide Prevention Day Campaign
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Marking World Suicide Prevention Day on Thursday, September 10, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Liverpool to launch a major sports-sector mental health initiative. Making a surprise joint appearance, Princess Kate supported Prince William as their Royal Foundation unveiled On Your Side: A Suicide Prevention Toolkit for People in Sport at Everton FC’s newly opened Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The ‘On Your Side’ Toolkit
Developed by the Royal Foundation in collaboration with UK mental health charity Chasing the Stigma, the initiative is designed to equip athletes, coaches, parents, officials, and fans with practical tools to identify early warning signs and initiate life-saving conversations before individuals reach a crisis point.
In his foreword to the guide, Prince William emphasized the unique role athletic communities play in psychological well-being:
“Through my work on mental health, I have met people whose lives have been changed forever by suicide. But I have also met people whose lives have been saved because someone stepped in to help. Each of their experiences has had a profound impact on me… Whatever your role — athlete, coach, parent, official or supporter — you may be the person who notices that someone is struggling.”
The toolkit launch includes an animated short film promoted across the royal couple’s social channels featuring prominent figures, including England captain Harry Kane, reinforcing the impact of reaching out with simple messages like “Are you alright?” and “You don’t have to figure this out on your own.”
Gathering of British Sporting Icons
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Hosted by sports presenter Gabby Logan, the stadium event brought together leading British athletic figures to discuss early intervention and emotional resilience:
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Olympic Champions: Five-time Olympic champion Dame Laura Kenny and Britain’s joint most successful Olympian Sir Jason Kenny attended to discuss psychological pressure in high-performance sports.
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Football & Athletics Leaders: Former Lioness and European Champion Jill Scott joined two-time Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes in panel discussions exploring grassroots sports culture.
Addressing the audience, William highlighted the social reach of sports venues:
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“Sport reaches people in ways few other sectors can. Every week, hundreds of thousands of people walk through the gates of stadiums and arenas. Millions more gather in clubhouses, sports halls, gyms and community centres… When somebody is struggling, often it is not a professional who first notices. It is a friend. A coach. A colleague. A teammate.”
A Longstanding Personal Cause
The initiative builds upon William’s multi-year focus on suicide prevention, a commitment shaped in part by his earlier career as an East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot, where an initial emergency dispatch involved a young man who died by suicide.
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Financial Backing: Over the past three years, the Royal Foundation has directed approximately $1.3 million to establish the National Suicide Prevention Network.
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Charitable Partnerships: The prince continues regular engagement with specialized crisis organizations, including James’ Place—which provides free, clinical interventions for suicidal men—and the Jac Lewis Foundation in Wales.
The Liverpool engagement capped an exceptionally busy sequence of public duties for the Prince of Wales, following his son Prince George’s first day at Eton College on Tuesday and his diplomatic representation of King Charles III at King Harald V’s state funeral in Oslo on Wednesday.
