A young boy got the surprise of his life this morning when the Prince of Wales turned up to his school after receiving a letter last year inviting him to see their mental health initiatives.
Freddie Hadley, 12, posted his letter on X, formerly Twitter, on World Mental Health Day last October telling the royal about the brilliant work he and his friends at St Michael’s Church of England High School in Rowley Regis, Sandwell, were doing.
To his delight, William personally replied, writing: ‘Good afternoon Freddie, I’m so 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 keep up this important work. W’
But Freddie’s letter clearly had a deeply moving effect on the prince, who asked his team to secretly arrange a visit to the school next time he was planning public engagements in the West Midlands.
And today he shocked the schoolboy and his classmates by arriving unannounced as the first of three engagements in the region.
A clip filmed outside the school showed William and Freddie deep in conversation as the future King spoke to the schoolboy about his letter.
The Prince of Wales congratulated Freddie on his initiative and told him: ‘Well done you, I’m here now.’
As the others in attendance chucked, he added: ‘Your letter worked. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to you in October.’
Later in the visit, the Prince joined Freddie and his classmates for a segment on the school’s radio station, where he was asked to share a ‘dad joke’.
The father-of-three went on to share a quip that he claimed is Princess Charlotte’s favourite.
He said: ‘I’m kind of trying to channel Jack Whitehall, because most of his jokes are pretty dad-like.’
The royal then told a knock-knock joke about ‘Interrupting Cow’.
As some laughed and some groaned at the quip, William insisted it was the best joke he could think of that was ‘clean’ and ‘broadcast-able’.
In a punchline some may have predicted, as the others around the table tried to ask: ‘Interrupting Cow who?’ the royal let out an abrupt ‘moo’.
The Prince of Wales also thanked the station and the school for welcoming him – despite the fact he supports Aston Villa.
After he bid farewell to Freddie and his peers to undertake the rest of his royal engagements, the Prince of Wales’s X/Twitter account posted photos of the visit and wrote: ‘It all started with a letter…
‘Great to see this inspiring mental health project in action. Well done to Freddie and friends for the incredible efforts they are making in nurturing their emotional wellbeing.’
It is the first time that William has undertaken what is known as a ‘royal away day’ since news of the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis and treatment was publicly announced.
St. Michael’s employs a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing and in May 2022 achieved a gold standard award by the Carnegie Centre of Excellent for Mental Health in Schools.
The school launched ‘Student Voice’ in 2012, consisting of up to 100 students who meet at lunchtimes, after school, in the evenings and during school periods to develop initiatives ranging from fundraising to mental health, including working with elderly members of the community.
Its team of enthusiastic student Wellbeing Ambassadors also help design and implement a range of initiatives to support students.
During his visit William plans to meet representatives of Student Voice, and join a session with the Matrix Project which was set up to shine a spotlight on male mental health and sees boys aged 11-14 meet weekly to develop ideas and projects to tackle mental health challenges.
The group launched its #AmIManlyEnough campaign last year to tackle the stigma around male mental health and encourage men and boys to communicate more about their feelings.
He will also join a workshop with a larger group of students who are discussing a range of issues related to mental health and wellbeing, including designing their own calm kits and their dream wellbeing hub.
In his letter to William last year Freddie neatly wrote that he and his friends had set up #AMIMANLYENOUGH? with the aim of tackling the stigma that ‘girls cry and boys get mad’.
‘Through our work we discovered that suicide is the biggest killer in young males and this won’t change unless people start the conversation,’ he wrote, with extraordinary maturity.
‘Our passion for mental health has given us opportunities to organise and lead community events, present at national conferences, take part in radio interviews and even gain celebrity endorsement.’
He invited the heir to the throne to join the ‘soft launch’ of their campaign on World Mental Health Day as their VIP guest.
And while William had to regretfully decline on that occasion, he made his mind up to go and see their work in action at some point in the near future.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
