Prince William Is Secretly Volunteering for a Crisis Text Service

london, england march 01 prince william, duke of cambridge introduces new workplace mental health initiatives at unilever house on march 1, 2018 in london, england the duke of cambridge highlighted the importance of mental wellbeing at work and introduced a new heads together workplace mental health initiative during the workplace wellbeing conference photo by chris jackson wpa poolgetty images

(Image credit: Samir Hussein)

published 8 June 2020

Kate Middleton and Prince William marked Volunteers' Week by sharing a new Instagram video, in which the Cambridges discuss volunteering with community organizations across the U.K.
William revealed that he's been anonymously volunteering for Shout, a free mental health crisis service which provides support over text.
William, Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry launched Shout in May 2019, as part of their Heads Together mental health initiative.

In a new Instagram video released on Friday, Kate Middleton and Prince William spoke to volunteers across the U.K. in celebration of Volunteers' Week. And William revealed he'd been doing a little volunteering of his own—for the mental health crisis service Shout, which allows people in the U.K. to access support over text. "I’m going to share a little secret with you guys," William said. "I’m actually on [Shout] volunteering."

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge)
A photo posted by on

Kate, William, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry launched Shout back in May 2019, as part of their Heads Together mental health campaign. Inspired by Crisis Text Line in the U.S., the service allows people in need of mental health support to text a trained volunteer at at any time of day.

The Cambridges and Sussexes said in a statement, "We are incredibly excited to be launching this service, knowing it has the potential to reach thousands of vulnerable people every day. Over the last few months Shout has started working quietly behind the scenes. We have all been able to see the service working up close and are so excited for its future."

“At the heart of this service will be an incredible national volunteer community, one which needs to grow to allow us to support more people in crisis," the statement continued. "We hope that many more of you will join us and be part of something very special."

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here