'Prince William cried for my husband and son - his reaction is a powerful reminder'

A mum whose emotional chat with Prince William about suicide left him fighting back the tears says it shows it's OK to find talking about the issue difficult - but adds it's not a reason to shy away from it.

Campaigner Rhian Mannings joined the Prince of Wales for a moving conversation about the importance of support being available for those at risk of suicide or affected by it, to mark World Mental Health Day. Rhian from Cardiff tragically lost her one-year-old son George in 2012 after he suffered a seizure and just five days later, her husband Paul took his own life.

Since then, she has founded the bereavement charity 2wish, to support those affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young adult under the age of 25.

• Prince William breaks down in tears speaking to brave mum whose husband took own life
• Meghan Markle and Prince Harry steal Kate's thunder in shock move on rare joint visit

During their chat, William became overcome with emotion as she told the prince that if she could talk to her husband Paul now, she would tell him they would have been OK following their son George's tragic death.

And Mirror Pride of Britain winner Rhian believes it was important for people to see this moving part of the conversation. She said: "It was a really important moment because I think when it gets to the stage of a conversation, when it gets emotional, a lot of people will shut down and stop. People are afraid of upsetting people and are afraid to have conversations that cause distress to other people.

"But actually it is just so important so I was talking about it, he got emotional, which made me emotional, but we continued to talk about it. And I think by him being emotional, people will see it's OK to talk about it, it's OK to find it difficult - but that's not a reason to shy away from it.

"By saying nothing to somebody is worse than saying something and getting emotional. Most people just want to know what is going on, they're just afraid to open that can of worms, but once it's open, for the person talking it's easier and actually it is OK to care. And sometimes if anything, that can really resonate with the person who is talking and opening up."

William's emotional chat with Rhian over tea and Welsh cakes took place at her home in Cardiff, where the prince also met with her older children Holly and Isaac, and her mother.

The pair had met before in 2017 when Rhian took part in the Mind Over Marathon programme and stayed in touch by meeting several times afterwards and exchanging letters.

But she says that when William asked to come to her house to speak to her about suicide, it came out of the blue. She said: "I had an email just saying that he would quite like to come and speak to me at the house around mental health and suicide and was that OK.

"It was a bit surreal, it doesn't happen everyday does it? But I was honoured to have him come out to the house and have him be part of my life for that short period of time and meet the children.

"He's amazing, he is very gentle and very laid back - in a sense you forget who you are having that conversation with. But I think coming into my own home, it does change things a little bit.

"It did make it feel he wanted to get to know Paul, he wanted to speak to me, he wanted to see the life we lead now. So it was a really special moment and something none of us will ever forget."

The conversation between Rhian and William comes on the launch of the new National Suicide Prevention Network, spearheaded by the Prince and Princess of Wales' Royal Foundation, which is donating £1million. It will aim to deliver lasting change in how suicide is understood and improve universal pathways for suicide prevention.

Rhian added: "To have William and Kate at the front of this Suicide Prevention Network is amazing as it just shows this is an important thing that is being noted and seen by everybody across the UK. I certainly couldn't ask for two better people to be leading conversations around suicide, I really can't.

"The big thing is, it is bringing the four nations together to collaborate, to share good practice, to talk about initiatives, research. But at the crux of it, we want to know why this is happening. We want to talk about the roots of why this is happening and where the support is and what we can to do improve that. And I think that's why having this conversation across the whole country is so significant and I really do think hopefully it is going to make such a difference.

"It's OK to struggle, what's important is that you share those struggles, you reach out to those around you or go to the GP or somebody just to speak. It's keeping those feelings inside, it's not good for you and we can prevent suicide if we have these conversations and talk about it and not shy away from it.

"2Wish is the organisation I set up because of losing Paul and the reason was that when we lost our son George five days before, there was no support available whatsoever and nobody talked about it, nobody reached out to us - the support was really poor.

"And then Paul took his own life and we still received no support. And at 2Wish, we want to have these conversations with the bereaved, we want to encourage people to talk and to come together and hopefully we will prevent other families from having relatives walk out of their homes and never come back, like what we had to go through.

"Support is improving, there are some incredible projects and organisations out there, and many of them are involved in the Suicide Prevention Network.

"But there can always be more, there can always be more funding available, there can always be more support. The support needs to be consistent, available when people need it and hopefully by having this network now, that can be a priority."

• For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website. You can also access support at the Hub of Hope, the UK’s largest mental health support directory.