Prince William speaks of horrors faced by 999 staff in 'uncertain and at points scary' times

The Duke of Cambridge has spoken of some of the horrors he saw while working as an air ambulance pilot, as he urges the nation to support 999 workers in coming months that “will no doubt be uncertain and at points scary”.

The Duke, who has assembled a new board to improve mental health provision across all the emergency services, said he had been left “very sad” after absorbing scenes of death “like a sponge” while on the job.

During a visit to Northern Ireland to mark Emergency Services Day, he met blue light responders to speak about the importance of mental health in the sector, telling them he “can’t thank them enough for all you do”.

“At one point or another, each and every one of us will meet you or one of your colleagues, speak to you, be comforted by you and benefit from the care and protection you provide,” he said.

“Given what we ask of you, we must do all we can to look out for you, and to help you to look out for each other.”

In a lighter moment, he also bonded with a police officer about their children returning to school after lockdown, joking “every parent was breathing a sigh of relief” after a “long five months”.

During a one-day visit to Belfast, where he attended a training workshop aimed at encouraging first responders to be comfortable sharing their feelings, the Duke said more work was still needed to tackle the stigma around mental health.

Reflecting on his own time as a helicopter pilot in East Anglia, he said: “I couldn’t put my finger on it, but you just felt very sad.

“And then you start to see the world very differently…you start just getting very sad that the world is so hurt.

“It’s only then you go ‘hang on, you’ve got to look at this’ because it’s only natural that you sponge it and bring it in.

“For me it was the sadness, I really felt the sadness, I’d absorb the jobs I’d gone to.

“Sadly with the Air Ambulance you get a lot of deaths and I didn’t realise the impact] – I would go to the next one and the next one.

“We’ve got to somehow change that culture where we feel it’s okay to say ‘listen, this was horrendous, I really didn’t enjoy seeing that, it was really brutal’. “How do we talk about it?”  

He acknowledged significant strides had been made in recent years, revealing that not one celebrity was prepared to get involved in the early days of his campaigning, such were their concerns about speaking openly about their struggles.

“This was six or seven years ago and not one celebrity wanted to talk about it in public…and now look at it,” he said.

The Duke thanked police officers, firefighters and ambulance crew members for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic, before meeting five-month-old Irish setter Tara, who has been trained to provide comfort to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In another lighter moment, William laughed with a police officer as he told her of his relief that the schools were open again.

“I think every parent is breathing a sigh of relief that school has started again,” he said.

“Five months – it’s been wonderful, but it’s been a long five months.”

In a speech at the close of his visit, the duke said it had been an “extraordinary year” for the emergency services.

“The months ahead will no doubt be uncertain and at points scary,” he added.

“But, thanks to the dedication and sacrifice of those of you working across the emergency services and in the NHS, I count myself and others in this country very fortunate.” 

The duke’s trip to the region came a day after he convened the first meeting of a new body established to improve mental health support for members of emergency services across the UK.

The Emergency Responder Senior Leader Board, which brings together leaders from across all 999 organisations, will promote collaborative working to ensure all emergency responders receive the mental health support they need.