Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Speak with Parents of Boy Saved by Mental Health Crisis Service

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, have continued their royal duties amidst the media frenzy surrounding Prince Harry and Meghan's upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey, as well as concerns over the health of the Duke of Edinburgh.

On Friday, the couple made a video call to speak with the parents of a 12-year-old boy who was helped through a mental health crisis by the UK's Free Crisis Service Shout.

The service offers text messaging support throughout the country for those struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.

The boy, identified only as Jack to protect his anonymity, had stood on a bridge one day with the intention of ending his life.

However, he turned to Shout's 85258 service and the text he received helped bring him back from the brink.

During the video call, Jack's father, whose identity is also being kept anonymous, told the Duke and Duchess that what happened between his son and Shout was enough to save his life.

The couple's Heads Together mental health campaign set up Shout as a legacy, and it has effectively bridged the gap between a point of crisis and despair, bringing Jack back to give him peace and calm to work things out and find support.

William and Catherine listened as Jack's parents shared how he became increasingly anxious during the lockdown of spring and summer last year.

Their usually open and gregarious son became more introverted and was no longer spending as much time connecting with his friends online.

The young boy told William that he found it easier to talk about his emotions and feelings via text than in a voice call.

After contacting Shout on the bridge, he then felt able to reach out to the police for help.

The service has trained 2,400 volunteers supported by clinical supervisors, and staff and volunteers have so far made more than 630,000 conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal, or overwhelmed and feel they are in need of immediate support.

Last year, it emerged that William had made good on his promise to become a volunteer counsellor for the Crisis text line during the pandemic.

Shout 85258 is the UK's first 24-7 text messaging support service, offering a free and confidential platform for conversations around mental health to ensure no one has to face their problems alone.

Launched in May 2019 with a £2 million grant from the Royal Foundation, the service has become increasingly critical throughout the pandemic as it is a digital service that has been able to operate as normal over the past year.

Shout has so far been able to support the mental health of 18,000 children aged 13 or under, with 90% indicating that the conversation they had was helpful.

The touching call between William, Catherine, and Jack's parents was shared on Kensington Palace's Instagram page, and viewers were moved by the couple's empathy towards the family.

Catherine said, “I can't imagine, as parents ourselves, what it's been like for you.

It's every parent's worst nightmare, receiving the call that you did on that night.”

To watch the full video of the call, which was posted on Shout's YouTube channel, viewers can visit the link provided in the description of this article.