A mother who spoke candidly with Prince William about her husband’s suicide has said she hopes their conversation will encourage others to open up about their struggles.
The Prince of Wales met Rhian Mannings, a campaigner from south Wales, whose one-year-old son George died after suffering a seizure in 2012. Just five days later, her husband Paul took his own life.
The deeply personal discussion, filmed at Ms Mannings’s home near Cardiff, marked the launch of the National Suicide Prevention Network — a new initiative backed by the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Royal Foundation.
The network, unveiled on World Mental Health Day, aims to transform suicide prevention efforts across the UK.
William first met Ms Mannings eight years ago through the Heads Together mental health campaign, which he led with Princess Kate and Prince Harry.
Reflecting on Paul’s death, Ms Mannings, 48, who is mother to Holly, 17, and Isaac, 16, said: “It didn’t have to happen, it doesn’t have to happen. It will be OK.
“You just need to be able to talk about it. You need to have someone to talk to, but people are just embarrassed and ashamed to open up. I’m hoping this video will show that it’s OK to open up, it’s OK to talk about it, but also that the devastation left behind can be avoided.”
She described William as “so passionate” about the issue and determined to raise awareness.
Bereaved mother hopes Prince William video will ‘show it’s ok to talk about suicide’
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PA
Sitting around her kitchen table, Ms Mannings spoke to Prince William openly on camera about her family’s devastating losses and the lingering questions that remain.
She said: “I will forever go over those last few days with him, wondering what I missed. Before we lost George, we were just so happy. And I think this just shows that it really can happen to anyone.”
The future king asked: “If you could say something or wanted to say something to Paul, what would you have said?”
Ms Mannings replied: “There’s only one thing I would ever say to him if I had time with him, and that would be: ‘Why didn’t you speak to me?’
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The late Paul Burke with his daughter Holly
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RHIAN MANNINGS
“I think, I ask myself that every single day. He was absolutely devastated. He did keep blaming himself that weekend. But I would just like to sit him down like this and just say: ‘Why didn’t you come to me?’
“Because he’s missed out on just so much joy, and we would have been OK. And I think that’s what the hardest thing is, we would have been OK.”
As she spoke, William became visibly emotional, placing his hand to his mouth before reaching out to comfort her.
When Ms Mannings asked if he was all right, the Prince replied quietly: “I’m sorry. I just, it’s hard to ask you the questions.”
She told him: “No, it’s fine. It’s just you’ve got children. It’s hard, and you’ve experienced loss yourself.”
Speaking later about her late husband, Ms Mannings said: “Paul was amazing. He lit up every room, he was funny, charming, he was just the whole package, and we were very happy.”
She described her family as “a very sort of everyday family who had the same things going on in their lives as everybody else”.
She added: “We lost George so suddenly, and then obviously to lose Paul. And for me, it just shows that anybody could go through this.
“So please talk about it, please look for help and seek help, because really, honestly, you can get through this.”
The National Suicide Prevention Network will receive £1million in funding from the Royal Foundation and will unite four leading charities – James’ Place, PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland, Mikeysline and the Jac Lewis Foundation – representing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They will work alongside the Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory.
Chaired by Professor Ann John of Public Health Wales, the network will focus over the next three years on identifying the root causes of suicide, improving access to support and driving national collaboration on prevention.
Prince William first met Ms Mannings in 2017 during filming for the BBC One documentary Mind Over Marathon, which followed runners taking part in the Heads Together campaign.
Anyone who is in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide can call the Samaritans anonymously for free from a UK phone on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.