Prince William Returned To Official Royal Duties By Supporting This Important Cause
After a long summer break filled with visits to the queen at her Scottish Balmoral estate, Prince William returned to his official royal duties this Thursday, September 9, to mark Emergency Services Day (via People).
The Duke of Cambridge headed to South London to the Dockhead Fire Station to meet with a number of emergency responders and people who had been saved by their work (via LBC). Prince William thanked the staff before leading tributes to those working and volunteering in the emergency and health services.
As part of the "999 Day" celebrations, the Duke also took to social media to share stories of civilians who had been saved by emergency responders. His official Twitter account tweeted, "This #999Day we're saying a huge thank you to everyone working and volunteering in the emergency services and the NHS."
One story he shared was that of Lila Page, who was playing around during a meal at a pub when she collapsed. Off-duty paramedics and firefighters then rushed to save her life. The 5-year-old, who has a heart condition that caused the collapse, was seen chatting to the prince wearing a tiara and talking about her sparkly shoes and unicorn watch.
He also shared Jolanta and Mariam's story, recounting the tale of when Jolanta, a firefighter, rescued Mariam. "What they do for humanity is immense," Mariam said.
A visit ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day
As part of his visit to emergency responders, Prince William also discussed an often unaddressed topic within the community –- suicide. Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, the Prince also hosted a meeting of emergency responders back at Kensington Palace to talk about suicide prevention amongst the emergency services communities.
"The Duke of Cambridge is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the emergency services community, which continues to be an important part of His Royal Highness's work through The Royal Foundation," a statement by Kensington Palace read (via The News).
It was during his time working with East Air Ambulance where he "witnessed first-hand the challenges that emergency responders face on a daily basis during his roles as both an Air Ambulance and RAF Search and Rescue pilot," the Duke's office added in a release (via People).
An issue that was at the forefront of the media last year during the height of the COVID pandemic, images of essential workers and emergency workers completely overworked turned medic mental health into a priority (via LBC).
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).