Prince William's sweet gesture to 12-year-old schoolboy after he made royal request
Prince William surprised a 12 year old boy on Thursday (25 April) by visiting his school in Sandwell, six months after the young student invited the Royal for a visit along with his school mates.
Last October, the youngster, Freddie Hadley, used X to invite Prince William, who is back to work after some time off to look after wife Kate, to visit his institution, St Michael's Church of England High School, introducing the Prince to an initiative he is involved in named Matrix Project.
Freddie detailed in his heartfelt letter that the project involves a group of boys aged between 11 and 14 years who meet each week to brainstorm ideas and projects aimed at highlighting male mental health issues. The group successfully launched the #AmIManlyEnough campaign last year to confront the stigma associated with male mental health and encourage men and boys to openly express their emotions.
Much to Freddie's joy, Prince William responded to his social media request two days later, during World Mental Health Day, praising Freddie and St Michael's School for their admirable work in addressing mental health problems faced by students. However, he mentioned that he and his wife Kate were not able to spend the day with him.
To everyone's surprise, including Freddie's, Prince William then turned up at the school. Upon meeting the ambitious young man for the first time, William told him "I'm here now and I'm sorry I couldn't come to your school in October", reports the Express.
The Prince engaged in a heartfelt conversation with Freddie, enquiring about the effectiveness of the Matrix Project at his school. He asked the lad: "Do you find when you're in the group talking with your friends they all open up as well and are interested in it? " to which Freddie confidently responded: "Yes."
In a personal touch last October, the Prince of Wales reached out to Freddie with a letter saying: "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."
The 'W' sign-off indicating it was directly from William himself.
St. Michael's School has been recognised for its commitment to mental health and wellbeing, having been awarded the gold standard by the Carnegie Centre of Excellence for Mental Health in Schools in May 2022.
The school's 'Student Voice' initiative, launched in 2012, involves up to 100 students who dedicate their lunchtimes, after-school hours, evenings, and even class time to create and participate in various projects, from fundraising efforts to mental health awareness, and includes outreach to the elderly in the community.
Additionally, St. Michael's has a dynamic team of student Wellbeing Ambassadors who play a crucial role in designing and implementing supportive measures for their peers.
During his visit, William is scheduled to meet with members of Student Voice to discuss the school's numerous programmes aimed at fostering positive mental health and wellbeing.
He's also set to participate in a session with the Matrix Project, which Freddie brought to his attention in a letter last year.
Additionally, he'll be part of a workshop with a larger group of students who are discussing various mental health and wellbeing issues, including creating their own calm kits and envisioning their ideal wellbeing hub.
His visit to the school is part of a series of engagements in the West Midlands today, where he's learning about initiatives across the region that are supporting people's mental health and wellbeing.
The school is his first stop on the trip, where he'll get to know more about the award-winning student-led initiatives available to pupils to support their mental health and wellbeing.
