Duchess Kate Has an Important Message for Everyone Who Struggles with Their Mental Health

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Duchess Kate Speaks Out On Mental Health

We all love Duchess Kate for her beauty, her elegant style, and her enviable romance with Prince William. (Although this is why they never show PDA.) But like Princess Diana before her, there’s more to this royal than her stunning smile and fashion sense. She’s taken up the torch—or should we say the crown—to advocate for important charitable causes around the world.

Most recently, the Duchess of Cambridge has teamed up with the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, a charity that provides training and support for child mental health services, to tackle the issue of mental health. The Duchess introduced a short animated film, which hopes to help young children and their parents have more honest conversations about mental illnesses.

“Mental health is how we feel and think, things that can’t really be seen but that affect us every day. And talking about them can feel difficult,” she said in the film.

Besides defining the term “mental health,” the animation provides advice for children and adults on how to communicate and address personal thoughts, emotions, and moods. Unlike physical health, mental health is often invisible, which requires people to honestly talk about their feelings with others. (If you think you have depression, read this.)

The Duchess explained that the short film can help young children parse out “what to say and who to talk to when we have feelings that are too big to manage on our own,” she said. “Sometimes it’s just a simple conversation that can make things better.” Well said, Princess Kate.

As for her own views on parenthood? She and Prince William always follow these etiquette rules—as does everyone in the royal family.

Plus: This is How Much Each Person in the British Royal Family is Actually Worth