Prince William meets the boy who wrote him a heartfelt letter – after sharing a touching message with Kate to mark Anzac Day

PRINCE William smiled today as he greeted a 12-year-old boy who wrote a heartfelt letter to the royals about mental health.

Wills visited St Michael’s Church of England Secondary School in Sandwell, West Midlands, to learn about the award-winning student-led initiatives available to support their mental health and wellbeing.

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It comes after student Freddie Hadley shared a letter inviting Prince William to support his school’s #AmIManlyEnough campaign.

The pair chatted and laughed this morning as they shook hands and talked about the young man’s work.

Freddie smiled in his immaculate school uniform as he proudly met the royal.

In Freddie’s letter to Wills, he wrote: “I am a representative of the Matrix Project, which was created to highlight men’s mental health.

“We have reached out to you in the hope that you will support our #AmIManlyEnough campaign? Which aims to combat the stigma that “girls cry and boys get angry”.

As part of last year’s World Mental Health Day, the inspirational student invited Wills to his campaign event.

The Prince responded on X/previously Twitter and replied: “Good afternoon Freddie, I’m sorry Catherine and I can’t be with you and the rest of the students at St Michael’s today.

“Tackling mental health challenges and stigmas head on is so important, please continue this important work.

But today, Freddie’s wish came true when he discussed the work they do with Wills.

And later William will join boys aged 11 to 14 in a session talking about men’s mental health.

The royal also asked if he could make a ‘dad joke’, apparently Princess Charlotte’s favourite.

“Knock knock,” he asked.

“Who’s there,” the children replied.

“Interrupting cow,” Wills said, before chiming in with “moo.”

The father of three said it was the only “clean and transferable” joke he had.

It comes as the Prince and Princess of Wales work tirelessly to end the stigma surrounding mental health.

They have awarded grants from their Royal Foundation to organizations working in the area, and Wills himself has previously prioritized increasing support for 999 Heroes.

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At the height of the Pandemic, the couple were so moved by the stories of NHS staff and emergency workers that they created the ‘Our Frontline’ scheme.

They worked with charities Mind, Samaritans, Shout and Hospice UK to provide 24-hour mental health support to key workers.

Meanwhile, in 2018, Prince William made headlines when he spoke about the struggles he faced following Princess Diana’s death.

He joined the Heads Together campaign, which worked to smash the stigma around mental health, and previously admitted he disapproved of the monarchy’s “stiff upper lip” tradition.

‘LET’S NOT FORGET’

It turns out the Princes and Princess of Wales also shared a heartfelt message this morning to mark Anzac Day.

“On #AnzacDay we remember all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in military operations #LestWeForget,” they wrote on their X platform.

Anzac Day, April 25, marks the anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli landings in the First World War.

It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand.

Thousands of Anzac, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers died alongside the British allies in the ill-fated 1915 campaign.

Waves of Allied forces launched an amphibious assault on the strategically important Turkish peninsula, which was key to controlling the Dardanelles, the crucial route to the Black Sea and Russia.

But the plan supported by Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, was flawed and the campaign, which faced a heroic defense from the Turks, led to a stalemate and a withdrawal eight months later.

Anzac Day has taken place every year since 1916 and now also represents all soldiers from nations involved in military conflicts.

Last year, Prince William laid a wreath of red poppies and white flowers at Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner, London.

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