The Prince and Princess of Wales visit BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat to mark World Mental Health Day

Broadcaster hosted royal couple at London’s New Broadcasting House in a discussion about youth mental health

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BBC Radio 1

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales have visited BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat to take part in a special episode about young people and mental health on World Mental Health Day.

The youth-focused news programme invited The Prince and Princess of Wales to lead a discussion with campaigners and experts in the field of mental health.

Looking specifically at the challenges and opportunities young people face when it comes to their mental wellbeing, The Prince and Princess of Wales met Dr Abigail Miranda, an Educational and Child Psychologist working in early years; António Ferreira, a mental health activist who was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Schizophrenia and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder as a teenager; Ben Cowley, a registered Music Therapist and Assistant Mental Health Advisor for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; and Emma Hardwell, a Youth Participation Officer at The Mix which offers mental health support to those under the age of 25, as well as Newsbeat presenter Pria Rai.

The Prince and Princess of Wales previously visited Radio 1 in April 2017, when they paid a surprise visit to Adele Roberts who was running the marathon in aid of Heads Together, the pioneering mental health campaign led by Their Royal Highnesses, encouraging people to feel comfortable to speak openly about their mental health. Mental health continues to be an important element of Their Royal Highnesses work with The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

Aled Haydn Jones, Head of BBC Radio 1, says: “It’s been fantastic to welcome The Prince and Princess of Wales back to our studios to discuss something that is so close to both their and our audience’s hearts. What was discussed today will resonate with so many of our listeners and it means so much to us that we can all work together to help tackle the stigma around this issue.”

Danielle Dwyer, Editor of BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, says: “We know mental health is really important to our listeners and we also know that when they’re struggling, they often turn to their friends.

“Newsbeat isn’t just about delivering the news - we’re here to be a friend too, and a place our listeners can find support and advice when they need it.

“Talking about mental wellbeing without stigma or judgment is so key and it's brilliant to welcome the Prince and Princess of Wales to our reporting team for the day, to join us in such a vital conversation.”

Pria Rai, BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat presenter, says: “Let’s be honest, the news can be a heavy place. It’s felt like one ‘unprecedented’ thing after another. Be it Covid, the cost-of-living crisis or exam stresses, it can take a toll on your mental health. Newsbeat always wants to just let our listeners know, it’s okay - you’re not the only one feeling like that. People not only switch us on to get the news, but to share openly and frankly how they are feeling. That’s humbling; to be a trusted part of people’s lives enough that they can send us a text about feeling lonely, or having lost a loved one. We have total strangers speaking to each other on the radio who soon feel like familiar friends and that’s a really important, uplifting part of what we do.”

The discussion will be broadcast on Tuesday 11 October at 12.45pm and 5.45pm on BBC Radio 1 and will be available on BBC Sounds.

About

Notes to Editors

Biographies of the contributors who joined the discussion with The Prince and Princess of Wales:

Dr Abigail Miranda
Abi is the Head of Early Years and Prevention (EYP) at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. Abi is an Educational and Child Psychologist who specialises in the early years, having completed her doctorate at UCL. Before joining the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Abi worked in the local authority, managing the Early Years special needs practitioners and providing support at schools, nurseries and children's centres.

António Ferreira
António is a mental health activist who sits on the Beyond youth Board. He is a 23-year old student at the University of Essex, originally from London, studying Psychology with Cognitive Neuroscience. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Schizophrenia and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. Antonio recently advised EastEnders on a schizophrenia storyline, offering his lived experience to accurately portray the storyline of a young black man with schizophrenia.

Ben Cowley
Ben is a HCPC registered music therapist from Cardiff, South Wales with global experience in the entertainment industry prior to working in mental health. Ben was recently awarded an MBE for services to health and social care during Covid 19. This related to the extensive psychological and emotional support he provided to care home residents and their families through music therapy informed activities and interactions. Ben currently works as an Assistant Mental Health Advisor for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where he delivers general well-being support and advice for students at the college as well as providing one to one Specialist Mentoring support, a DSA benefit. Ben continues to play the piano at the care home on a voluntary basis and is also a volunteer for Shout, a provider of 24-hour text mental health support.

Emma Hardwell
Emma (she/her), has been part of The Mix for 5 years, first joining as a young leader for The Mix's Youth Panel and then advancing to become a Youth Participation Officer. Having experienced mental health difficulties starting in her teenage years, Emma is now a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and support. As part of her role she both supports young people with their mental wellbeing, and encourages them to use their voices to shape services. Being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, Emma is aware of the additional challenges members of the community face.

Source BBC Radio 1