Kate Middleton unexpectedly joined Prince William in Liverpool on Thursday, turning what had been announced as a solo engagement for the Prince of Wales into their first joint official outing since the royal family’s summer break.
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived together at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 10 for World Suicide Prevention Day. William was there to launch On Your Side, a new resource created to help people throughout sport recognize when someone may be struggling, start a conversation and connect them with support.
Kate had not been included in the original announcement for the event. She stepped out beside William wearing a bright blue suit, while he wore navy, before the couple met athletes, sporting officials and people with personal experience of suicide.
William described suicide as “one of the greatest challenges facing our society” and argued that preventing it cannot be left only to mental health professionals. The new campaign instead looks to people already surrounding someone in their everyday life, including teammates, coaches, friends and colleagues.
William Wants Sport to Help People Start Difficult Conversations
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“When somebody is struggling, often it is not a professional who first notices,” William said during the launch, according to PEOPLE. “It is a friend. A coach. A colleague. A teammate.”
On Your Side was created specifically for sporting environments, from grassroots clubs to elite organizations. It offers guidance on recognizing warning signs, approaching someone who may be struggling and helping that person reach appropriate support before a crisis.
The Royal Foundation developed the toolkit with the British Standards Institution and mental health charity Chasing the Stigma. Players, coaches, staff, volunteers, parents, families and spectators are all among the people it is intended to help.
The Football Association, Premier League, Team GB and British Cycling are among the organizations that have committed to introducing the resource within their operations. More than a dozen other sporting organizations have signed on as champions of the initiative.
William also narrated a short campaign film released for the launch. It features England soccer captain Harry Kane, Formula 1 driver George Russell, boxer Carl Frampton, rugby player Rocky Clark and other athletes encouraging people to speak when they believe someone around them may be struggling.
“You don’t need to be an expert to support someone who’s struggling,” William says in the film. “You just need to find the courage to have the conversation.”
William and Kate Met Gary Speed’s Mother at Everton
William and Kate spent part of the visit with Carol Speed, whose son Gary Speed played for Everton and later managed the Wales national team. Speed died by suicide in 2011 at age 42.
The three sat together at a bench dedicated to the former footballer outside the stadium. William and Kate spoke with Carol about her son and how conversations surrounding mental health and suicide have changed in the years since his death.
The couple later joined former and current sporting figures including Dame Kelly Holmes, Sir Jason Kenny, Dame Laura Kenny, Jill Scott and broadcaster Gabby Logan for discussions about resilience, early intervention and the pressures people can experience within sport.
William has previously spoken about how his years working as an air ambulance pilot affected his approach to mental health. He encountered people experiencing severe trauma during that work and has since made suicide prevention one of the major areas of his public campaigning.
In 2025, the Royal Foundation committed more than £1 million over three years to establish the National Suicide Prevention Network, bringing organizations from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland together to improve prevention efforts.
Kate Joined an Event William Was Originally Attending Alone
William had originally been the only royal scheduled to attend the Liverpool launch. Kate’s participation was not announced beforehand, and she arrived alongside him shortly after midday.
It marked their first joint official engagement since the summer break. Kate has long worked with William on mental health initiatives, including the Heads Together campaign they launched with Prince Harry in 2016.
The Royal Foundation’s research ahead of the new campaign found that sporting organizations generally want to provide greater support but can face gaps in training, knowledge and resources. Stigma remains another obstacle, particularly among men and elite athletes.
William told those gathered in Liverpool that sport can reach people who may never seek help through a mental health service themselves. “We want to start a movement across sport,” he said, according to Reuters. “We’re calling for a commitment to create environments where people feel able to speak openly, where asking for help is seen as a sign of strength, and where support is never out of reach.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.