Marathon ban for Kate, Wills and Harry over security fears
SECURITY fears have put paid to plans by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry to run in this year’s London Marathon.
The royal trio have been told policing the 26-mile course would be a nightmare if they took part.
But William, 34, Kate, 35, and Harry, 32, will be cheering from the sidelines on April 23.
And they plan to use the event to promote their campaign to get Britain talking about mental health problems.
Heads Together, the organisation they created with eight mental health charities, is the marathon’s charity of the year and will enter 500 runners.
They set out plans yesterday to use the event to get Britons paying as much attention to mental fitness as physical fitness – and to seek help if they need it.
William said: “There are times when, whoever we are, it is hard to cope with challenges.
Suffered
“And when that happens, being open and honest and asking for help is life-changing.
“Talking to someone else is a positive and confident step. Too many people have suffered in silence for too long and the effects can be devastating.”
But William added: “The three of us are really optimistic that things are changing. We believe 2017 can mark a tipping point for mental health – when more people no longer feel they have to bear the weight alone.”
Kate, wearing a £1,559 Erdem dress, recalled the words of a woman with a personality disorders she had met.
She said: “Talking to a support worker was, in her words, like medicine. Simply having someone to have a conversation with helped her immensely.”
Harry added: “If you want to be fit, healthy and set yourself up for success, your mental fitness is as important as your physical fitness. Everyone would get help for a broken leg, so why not seek help for an issue that could hamper you and others around you?”
The royal trio were supported at the event in London by celebrities including former England footballer Rio Ferdinand.
Ferdinand, 38, suffered grief after his wife Rebecca died of breast cancer in 2015, aged 34.
He said: “I remember when we would never discuss this stuff. More of us now know talking is a source of strength.”
He said he, William and Harry shared a “common bond” through loss. Harry once told him he did not speak of the death of his mother Princess Diana “for the first 28 years of my life”.
Ferdinand said: “He understands through experience how important it is to speak.” Channel 5 presenter Sian Williams, 52, and BBC presenter Kate Silverton, 46, who has a degree in child psychology, were also present.
Sian will be running after recovering from breast cancer and writing a book on mental health. She said: “The passion that the royals have for this cause is impressive.”