PRINCE William has said that “disappointment is part of life” during a chat about mental health with England legend Harry Kane.
The Prince of Wales joined the Three Lions ace and his fellow England player Declan Rice to discuss their shared love of the beautiful game and the life lessons it has taught them.
Prince William sat down with England players Harry Kane and Declan Rice
The trio discussed mental health and their fondest football memories
During the 25-minute chat, uploaded to YouTube, the trio opened up about their fondest football memories and the positive effect of their favourite moments on their mental wellbeing.
Wills, a keen Aston Villa fan, said that football taught him that “disappointment is part of life” and highlighted the work of Shout, a free and confidential messaging service for people struggling with mental health issues.
He said: “You learn by playing a number of times and many other things in life that disappointment is part of life and how you handle it is crucial.
“Handling some of those really disappointing England results in the past, that was hard, I found that really difficult, because again the same euphoria that we had comes crashing down.
“You feel high and all together, and then normal life just gets on again.”
The royal added that he had made a “lot of friends” playing football in his youth.
He said: “Some of the greatest friendships are born from playing games and being pushed together in slight adversity.”
Meanwhile, Spurs striker Kane recalled one his best footy memories as when his dad gave him £5 as a child after he scored his first goal.
The England captain also discussed the work of the Harry Kane Foundation, which has partnered with Shout.
He said: “I’ve just launched a foundation which is really exciting for me.
“My aim is to, especially to the younger generation, talk to them and try and provide ways of talking about mental health and wellbeing.
“The more we talk about it, and open up, it will definitely help solve and hopefully encourage people not to be afraid to ask for help, especially when you are feeling a little bit lower.”
West Ham captain Rice went on to explain that England’s loss in the Euros final last year brought the squad closer together.
On the devastating penalty shoot-out loss to Italy he said: “There was a special moment after that game, the togetherness when we all come in a huddle after we’d lost that, and Gareth said some really important words.
“As a group, I think that brought us forward together because then we had to qualify for a World Cup in the next round of games.
“We really overcame that setback of losing that final, showed our togetherness and our strength and I feel that we are in a really good place as a national team that we can keep pushing and getting better because the togetherness we’ve built is really special to be a part of.”
Ed Groves, the managing editor of Copa 90, a football media company that organised the chat, said he hope it would show viewers “the power of talking when dealing with their mental health“.
FIR REAL
I’m obsessed with Christmas & my clever tips will make any cheap tree look luxe
He added: “As football fans we can experience every emotion possible within 90 minutes
“But while we all crave basking in collective glory, we need to remember to support each other through the harder moments – in football and in life.”
England legend Kane has set up a charitable foundation, working with mental health charity, Shout
West Ham captain Rice discussed England’s loss in last year’s Euros and the effect it had on the team’s mental health
