On Tuesday, Prince Harry joined Team Heads Together runners in Newcastle for a marathon training session.
The Prince was all smiles as he cheered on runners at the city’s Quayside; all of the participants are to take part in April’s London Marathon for the Heads Together charity, which wants to raise awareness for mental health causes.
Athletes Steve Cram and Jonathan Edwards spoke to Harry during the training session on the Millennium Bridge over the River Tyne. Cram is helping promote the campaign spearheaded by Harry, plus The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge through the Royal Foundation.
He also heard reasons why people were running for the charity, because of their own mental health problems, and high-fived the runners as they came across the bridge.
A few weeks ago, the Royal trio took part in a relay against one another as they attended another training session in London.
Speaking at the engagement, the Prince likened mental health to a bad knee and encouraged people to open up about their struggles and seek help during the campaign.
“If we are all willing to have these conversations, we will end the stigma around mental health once and for all,” he said. “That’s what Heads Together is trying to achieve: removing the stigma to pave the way for better access to services that can help. And, that’s why I am so glad to have all of your help in this important mission.”
He also spoke about his time as an Apache helicopter pilot, in the video below, and spent time greeting locals who had come out to see the special guest.
The day had started at the Civic Centre in Gateshead to meet ex-servicemen who had received support from veterans charity Walking With The Wounded. Harry took part in the South Pole trek challenge for the charity while he was still in the army.
“There are guys and girls who, because of you, have been taken out of an incredibly dark place and offered a train track heading in one direction,” Harry commented.
“They have turned their lives around and can be recognised for the service that they gave and the people that they are, rather than the mistakes they made.”
Prince Harry attended a round table discussion on how multi-agency partnerships can support mental health provision for servicemen with complex needs.