Meghan & Harry team up with Kate & William again – two months after charity split
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have teamed up with Kate Middleton and Prince William to feature in a mental health film together.
The “Fab Four” royals will feature alongside one another in a three-minute video, also starring actress Gillian Anderson and presenter Davina McCall, that will be screened during ad breaks on Sky, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5 and MTV at 8.45pm on Monday.
It is their first campaign together since Harry and Meghan announced their decision to split from the couples’ joint Royal Foundation charity earlier this year. The resolution was passed on 8 August, according to documents.
Each member of the two royal couples speaks in short segments for part of the short film, which is for the Every Mind Matters campaign – an initiative from Public Health England (PHE) and the NHS that aims to help people spot early mental health symptoms.
The video, believed to be a “broadcaster first”, is introduced by sports presenter Clare Balding.
Last year, Harry and Meghan worked with William and Kate on the Heads Together mental health campaign, spearheaded by what was then known as The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The royals appeared together in an appearance at the first ever foundation forum in February 2018.
The Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex have joined forces to support a new government campaign called #EveryMindMatters which is aimed at helping people with #mentalhealth problems.
Read more here: https://t.co/B6z6c5hSY2 pic.twitter.com/jg8k6P0aNh— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 7, 2019
The Royal Foundation was the umbrella organisation for the couples’ charitable projects, including Heads Together, the Invictus Games and the Endeavour Fund.
Following their split with the Royal Foundation, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will establish their own organisation by the end of the year.
Narrating the video, William begins: "Everyone knows that feeling, when life gets on top of us.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry split from joint charity with Kate Middleton and Prince William
"All over the country, millions of us face challenges to our mental health, at all ages, at all intensities, and for all sorts of reasons.
"We feel stressed, low, anxious, or have trouble sleeping. Me, you..."
Harry continues: "...your brother, your mother, your colleague, or your neighbour. Waiting, wondering, hoping, hurting.
"We think there's nothing to be done. Nothing we can do about it."
Meghan then adds: "But that's so wrong. There are things we can do. From today, there's a new way to help turn things around. Every Mind Matters will show you simple ways to look after your mental health."
Kate continues: "It'll get you started with a free online plan designed to help you deal with stress, boost your mood, improve your sleep and feel more in control."
The video aims to direct people to the Every Mind Matters website. The platform, which has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs, allows users to take a health quiz and offers them a personalised "mind plan" with practical tips around managing anxiety, low mood, sleep and stress.
The video and website coincides with the release of a new PHE survey of more than 3,000 adults in England that found that 83% of respondents experienced early signs of poor mental health in the last year, including feeling anxious, feeling stressed, having a low mood and having trouble sleeping.
Over a quarter of people waited longer than six months before taking action, with more than half reporting coping mechanisms including smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating and avoiding social situations.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the project harnesses the "power of modern technology to do good when we know it also can help contribute to some of these problems".
He added: "It draws together the importance of treating our mental health on an equal basis to our physical health, and treating it both as an asset that each individual needs to invest in, supported by the NHS and by the government, as opposed to just something that just needs to be fixed when it goes wrong."
Additional reporting by PA.