Prince William, a former air ambulance pilot, has spoken openly about ‘absorbing the pain and suffering’ he witnessed while on duty.
‘I took a lot home without realising it,’ he revealed at a mental health event in Bristol on Tuesday. ‘You see [so] many sad things every day that you think life is like that.’
Speaking about his time in the emergency services, he added, ‘You’re always dealing with despair and sadness and injury. The attrition builds up and you never really have the opportunity to offload anything if you’re not careful.’
The 36-year-old royal spoke candidly as he launched Mental Health At Work, a free UK-wide portal for employers and employees that makes a significant stride forward in William’s mental health campaign.
Paramedic Dawn Anderson, was in attendance at the event, where she told the royal she suffered from two episodes in 2011. Anderson reveals she covered up her episodes in fear of losing her job. Eventually, she was diagnosed with PTSD.
Following the event, Anderson told PEOPLE, ‘He feels like a colleague as well as a leader. He is so calm and approachable. He has a real relaxed presence about him. It has been a positive and wonderful experience.
‘I’ve always held the belief that everybody is susceptible to mental health problems, and I wouldn’t expect even a member of the royal family to be exempt from that,’ she added.
‘To hear him admit that just goes to prove how good it is to speak about these things and how positive that can be. And it goes towards removing hat stigma about mental health and to speaking up to and owning up to it.’