Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Harry: Real heroes ask for help
HARRY TELLS OF HIS MENTAL HEALTH BATTLE Prince’s plea at Invictus Games
We need our mental fitness as without it we cannot survive let alone thrive
PRINCE HARRY IN SPEECH AT CLOSING OF INVICTUS GAMES
PRINCE Harry was hailed by mental health campaigners yesterday as he bravely opened up about his own struggles and made a plea to anyone suffering to reach out for help.
In a moving and heartfelt speech, the Duke of Sussex said: “Our mental fitness is even more important than our physical fitness because without it we cannot survive, let alone thrive.”
At the closing of the Invictus Games in Sydney last night, he spoke of how everyone bears responsibility to help others “who can never even imagine themselves in that place”.
Former soldier Harry created the games, which began in London, in 2014.
Six years earlier, he had flown back from Afghanistan with three comrades who had been seriously injured.
In that moment, the young royal decided he would dedicate himself to standing up for injured vets and show the world how they were role models.
This week marked the fourth and most successful instalment of the games, where 500 ex-servicemen and women from 18 nations achieved staggering results against the odds.
Some had suffered catastrophic injuries on the battlefield, while others still carried the “invisible” scars of posttraumatic stress disorder.
It is a cause close to 34-year-old Harry’s heart – he suffered the tragic loss of his mother, the late Princess Diana, aged 12.
In front of a 12,000-strong crowd, he said: “Asking for help is courageous. It will improve your life and the lives of those around you immeasurably.
“In the moment you admit that you are struggling, you take that first step towards a better future for you, your friends and your family.
“You allow those around you to show you the love and concern central to the cure.
“I’ve been there, you’ve been there, and we now need to reach out to those who can never even imagine themselves in that place.
“I hope the ethos of these games has also shown you that we all have mental health, just as much as we all have physical health.
“So for all the civvies out there, look at what these men and women have achieved and know one day, though you may not be injured in combat, physical or emotional injuries can happen to any one of us.”
His comments drew praise from mental health campaigners, including Jonny Benjamin.
Jonny, 31, was awarded an MBE after using social media campaign #FindMike to track down the stranger who convinced him not to end his life in 2008.
He said: “It’s fantastic to see mental health be a consistent theme of Prince Harry and Meghan’s tour.
“There is still a huge stigma attached to mental illness but with Prince Harry not only continually raising awareness of it but also repeatedly encouraging people to ask for help, the fear and shame is finally being erased.
“Hopefully Harry’s words will have an impact on everyone to do much more to make sure people with mental illness receive the same care and compassion as those with physical illnesses.”
The Invictus Games closing ceremony brought the curtain down on Harry and Meghan’s two-week tour of Australia,
where they have drawn huge crowds and plaudits wherever they have been.
Harry used his first major international tour with his new wife to talk openly about his own experiences.
He told how he believed society would be a better place if we learn lessons from the heroic injured servicemen and women in the games.
He said: “That is something we can all aspire to. You do not have to be a veteran who has fought back from injury to be inspired by Invictus.
“You can be a teacher or a doctor, a mum or a dad, a child or a grandparent, a farmer, a plumber, a lawyer, or a CEO. Or anything at all. You can identify something in your own life that you want to change for the better.
“And you can let the men and women of the Invictus Games remind you that no challenge is too difficult to overcome.
“Nowhere is that truer than in the area of mental health.
“For that friend or comrade you know who is unable to open up about their struggles.
“For that man or woman who has watched on television, you are proving that it’s OK to talk about how we feel.
“To girls and boys who see you speaking openly about anxiety, stress and depression, you are showing it’s OK not to be OK.
“And most importantly, you are showing us all that it’s OK to ask for help.”
Prince Harry, along with Prince William and Kate Middleton, launched their charity Heads Together in 2016 to tackle the stigma over mental health that prevents people from getting help.
A royal source said: “Harry is acutely aware of his platform and sees it as one of his missions in life to share his experiences to help others.
“He has already done so much with the Invictus Games but this is truly a special project dear to his heart.
“Both he and Meghan share the same values and ideals, and we will see them operating on the world stage together to help others for many years to come.”
Meghan, who is 14 weeks pregnant, wowed the crowds again last night when she gave thanks “for welcoming me into the Invictus family”.
She revealed her deep bond with the military began with a visit to Afghanistan long before she met Prince Harry.
In a passionate speech, she said the experience gave her “a very special glimpse into the lives of those who serve our countries”.
Today the couple start a four-day tour of New Zealand, where they will continue to speak about mental health issues.
Harry sees it as one of his missions in life to share his experience to help others ROYAL SOURCE ON HOW THE PRINCE USES HIS PLATFORM