Prince William has joined forces with Lady Gaga via FaceTime to promote mental health awareness as part of the Heads Together #oktosay campaign. The conversation, filmed from his London study to the pop star's kitchen in Los Angeles, was premiered on the Royal Family's Facebook page.
The Duke of Cambridge praised the singer's openness about her own struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which she revealed in an open letter last year. He invited her to participate in the campaign, which aims to break the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
During their call, Prince William emphasised the importance of normalising conversations about mental health, stating: 'It's time that everyone speaks up and really feels very normal about mental health, it's the same as physical health.' Lady Gaga echoed this sentiment, saying: 'We have to make the strongest, most relentless attempt we can to normalise mental health issues.'
The prince also spoke about ensuring his children feel able to discuss their emotions, following his brother Prince Harry's candid account of struggling with their mother's death. He warned that while the 'stiff upper lip' has its place, it should not come at the expense of mental wellbeing.
Lady Gaga and Prince William have made plans to meet in the UK in October to discuss further collaboration on tackling mental health stigma.
