Ravishing the Royals

The Duchess of Sussex join the Trooping The Colours celebrations on June 9th, 2018.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the annual Trooping the Colour Ceremony on June 9, 2018 in London, England.

On 23rd April 2017, the Heads Together campaign would take centre stage as the London Marathon Charity of the Year. In the days leading up to the event, the royals completed a series of high profile engagements to further their mission. In their final push, the trio released a video under the #Oktosay banner, joining high profile figures such as Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry who had released their own videos. The 7 minute long clip was filmed at a picnic table in the garden of their Kensington Palace home and saw them modelling the core message of their campaign, the importance of simple conversations about our emotions. The group talked about the motivation behind Heads Together, confirming for the first time that the campaign was initially Kate’s idea. The Duchess said that she had seen the common thread of mental health underlying their diverse areas of interest and had wanted to combine their influence. The royals also spoke candidly about their own experiences. While the boys shared their feelings about the trauma of their mother’s death, Kate opened up about the “steep learning curve” she faced as a mother which would inform her later work with perinatal mental health. She said, “I remember the first few days with little George, you know you have no idea really what you’re doing no matter how many books you read, nothing can prepare you for it.” She also drew on her work with children’s mental health organisations such as the Anna Freud Centre when she mentioned the impact mental ill health has on the wider family. The three royals were universally praised for showing a different side to the royal family and practicing what they preach by opening up about their emotions.  

The Duke of Cambridge attends a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on May 31, 2018 in London, England.