The royal was speaking at the inaugural This Can Happen conference at The O2 in London, which aims to address mental health issues in the workplace.

William, 35, told how one particular incident “took him over the edge”.

He said he was lucky to have worked for the RAF and the East Anglian Air Ambulance because of their good mental health working practices.

Speaking about his time with the air ambulance, he said: “Talking was really important, but even that wasn’t quite enough for one particular incident for me.

“I worked several times on very traumatic jobs involving children, and after I had my own children I think the relation between the job and the personal life was what really took me over the edge, and I started feeling things that I have never felt before, and I got very sad and very down about this particular family.”

It is understood that he was referring to an accident involving a child.

William added that talking to colleagues helped him to “come to terms with the enormous sadness” of what had happened.

The Duke of Cambridge became a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009.

His service with the British Armed Forces ended in 2013 due to his royal role.

Around 120 employers from different sectors were represented at the event on Tuesday, which was attended by roughly 750 people.

William urged employers to look after the mental health of workers.

While taking part in a panel discussion, he said: “We spend a vast amount of our time at work.

“There should be a much more open, supportive and compassionate working environment to deal with those sorts of problems.

“There’s still a stigma about mental health. We are chipping away at it but that wall needs to be smashed down.”

He said that workers need to feel they can speak to people in the HR department.

William also spoke about the responsibility of looking after his own staff, who he said sometimes work “silly hours”.

He said it is important they “keep an eye on the hours they work” and the commuting they do.

William campaigns alongside his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and his brother Prince Harry for mental health initiative Heads Together.

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