Prince William has pointed to the “really difficult” time he has overcoming England ’s tournament disappointments in an honest conversation about mental health alongside Harry Kane and Declan Rice.
Ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, the trio sat down for a special episode of “Game of 5s” with COPA90 and The Royal Foundation. The film itself is intended to get supporters and players alike to hold similar conversations regarding their own mental wellbeing through discussions over their own experiences.
And Prince William has revealed how difficult he has found it to deal with the disappointment of bad England results in the past in a candid chat about how the nation's euphoria "comes crashing down".
He said: “You learn by playing a number of times and many other things in life that disappointment is part of life and how you handle it is crucial. Handling some of those really disappointing England results in the past, that was hard, I found that really difficult, because again the same euphoria that we had comes crashing down… You feel high and all together, and then normal life just gets on again.”
West Ham captain Rice pointed to the Euro 2020 final defeat on penalties at Wembley as a hugely testing and difficult moment in his career, but recognised how it allowed the current crop of players to get even closer than they were before.
“There was a special moment after that game [the Euros final], the togetherness when we all come in a huddle after we’d lost that, and Gareth [Southgate] said some really important words,” the midfielder said.
How far do you think England will go in the World Cup in Qatar? Make your predictions in the comments below
“As a group, I think that brought us forward together because then we had to qualify for a World Cup in the next round of games.
“We really overcame that setback of losing that final, showed our togetherness and our strength and I feel that we are in a really good place as a national team that we can keep pushing and getting better because the togetherness we’ve built is really special to be a part of.”
Elsewhere, Three Lions’ captain Kane - a huge advocate of mental health support - has continued to encourage all to hold similar conversations regarding their own wellbeing.
He said: “I’ve just launched a Foundation which is really exciting for me. Talking here about different stuff - highs and lows that we’ve been through as players. That’s my aim is to, especially to the younger generation, talk to them and try and provide ways of talking about mental health and wellbeing.
"The more we talk about it, and open up, it will definitely help solve and hopefully encourage people not to be afraid to ask for help, especially when you are feeling a little bit lower.”
