For their work on mental health and encouraging young people to talk about their problems, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been awarded gold Blue Peter badges.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge receive their gold blue peter badges from Radzi Chinyanganya and Lindsey Russell (BBC/Dan Vernon)
During William and Catherine’s recent visit to Manchester, the couple were snuck into the Blue Peter studio to talk to presenters, Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya.
They thanked the couple for bringing attention to the issue, and for helping assure children that it was ok to talk about how they were feeling, especially if they were having a problem.
Radzi mentioned that The Queen also has a golden badge from the show, the programme’s highest award, during her Golden Jubilee year in 2002. Prince William joked: “We’ll compare!”
prince william and kate were amazed to receive gold blue peter badges
Sir David Attenborough, JK Rowling, Steven Spielberg, Mary Berry and David Beckham have all received the badge; just a handful are presented each year to individuals who ‘show great expertise in their chosen field, are considered to be role models, and who inspire children across many generations’.
“Amazing!” the couple gasped as they were handed their badges, admiring them in the presentation boxes. “That’s very touching. Thank you very, very much. Wow… We have won a badge!” Prince William grinned.
What an honour! The Duke and Duchess are awarded a Gold Blue Peter Badge for their work in children’s mental health. Thank you so much #BluePeterpic.twitter.com/CEDARbGKnM
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 12, 2017
Kate said: “It’s hugely special. Mental health has been a learning process for us too … We want to get everyone talking about it so it hasn’t got that stigma it’s had.”
“We’ve still got a long way to go yet but we are getting there,” the Duke added. “A shift is happening and we will hopefully crack a problem that should have been cracked a long time ago.”
The clip showing the couple receive their gold badges will be shown during the live Blue Peter Christmas special on Thursday 14th December at 5.30pm on CBBC.
Prince William and Kate chat to blue peter presenters and some viewers at the studio after receiving their gold blue peter badges. bbc/Dan Vernon
