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Prince William, 37, opened up about his own mental health challenges in a new BBC documentary. The Duke of Cambridge spoke candidly about if you live through a “traumatic” event, like losing a parent at a young age, those feelings can resurface during the amazing but scary period of parenthood. Social media users took to Twitter to praise William for the campaign.

One Twitter user wrote: “I’m crying but it’s all happy tears. Thanks for showing us all your story with Prince William.”

Another added: “Prince William is a truly genuine caring person. Amazing programme and campaign. Very emotional To watch, honest and such empathy.”

A third person said: “I absolutely loved the documentary, I am so proud of Prince William for speaking on breaking the stigma around men’s mental health. Thank you.”

The duke who has three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – admitted he had found things “overwhelming” at times but he and wife Kate supported each other as they went through those “moments” together.

William was 15 and his brother Harry just 12 when their mother Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The Duke also admitted his poor eyesight allowed him to overcome the anxiety of giving important speeches – as the faces of the audiences were just a blur.

William’s candid comments were made in a BBC documentary about men’s mental health in the world of football, and he said about male suicide: “It’s scary and it’s frightening and it’s real.”

The duke believes the continuing “stigma” around mental health stems from the internalised grief and sadness the country felt after two world wars and people’s desire to forget the experience and “get on with life”.

Asked by a grassroots footballer, who suffers from anxiety, if he worried or felt uneasy constantly being in the public gaze the duke replied he did when younger when making big speeches.

William went on to say in the documentary being screened on Thursday evening: “…my eyesight started to tail off a little bit as I got older, and I didn’t used to wear contacts when I was working, so when I gave speeches I couldn’t see anyone’s face.

“And it helps, because it’s just a blur of faces and because you can’t see anyone looking at you – I can see enough to read the paper and stuff like that – but I couldn’t actually see the whole room. And actually that really helped with my anxiety…”

William was followed for the past year for the BBC film as he travelled around the country promoting his Heads Up initiative, which aims to raise awareness about mental health and encourage football supporters to speak about their problems or support a fellow fan.

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The avid Aston Villa fan revealed football has become more important to him as he has got older: “You know it’s weird because, I’ve always loved football but I love football more now than I’ve ever loved it before and I don’t know what it is, whether it’s because I’m a parent now and I need football more in my life, I don’t know maybe it is that.”

During the documentary – Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health – grassroots players and seasoned professionals talked about their experiences of mental health issues.

During a visit to West Bromwich Albion Football Club to meet players past and present who have experienced people close to them committing suicide, the duke said: “It is one of the biggest killers of young men under 45.

“As pain and grief goes, and I’ve heard this from sadly too many families who have been bereaved by suicide, it is one of the rawest forms of grief because you’re left with so many unanswered questions.

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