Prince William and Kate arrived at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday, September 10, wearing blue to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. The Liverpool ECHO was present as the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Merseyside venue, calling on the sporting sector to unite behind a shared goal to prevent suicide.
Royal Visit Highlights Mental Health in Sport
The couple were joined by leading sport figures including Dame Kelly Holmes MBE, Gabby Logan OBE, and Jill Scott MBE. The Royals wore various shades of blue, fitting for their visit to the home of the Blues. Prince William chose a navy blue suit with a blue tie, while Princess Kate wore an elegant teal blue trouser suit.
During the visit, the royal couple sat on the Gary Speed memorial bench with the late footballer's mother, Carol, and Sam, who has been supported by Everton in the Community. They discussed the stigma surrounding mental health and Gary Speed's legacy of opening up conversations about mental health.
Launch of New Suicide Prevention Toolkit
Prince William is set to launch On Your Side: A Suicide Prevention Toolkit for People in Sport. Described as a first-of-its-kind resource, the toolkit aims to strengthen suicide prevention across sporting environments. It has been developed in partnership with the British Standards Institution and mental health charity Chasing the Stigma.
The toolkit is designed to turn good intentions into everyday action by equipping people across sport with the confidence to recognise warning signs, start supportive conversations, and connect individuals with help before they reach crisis point. It explains how to create safe environments, make suicide prevention part of everyday practice, educate those within sports organisations, and put clear procedures in place for crisis situations.
World Suicide Prevention Day and Recent Royal Visits
World Suicide Prevention Day was first established in 2003 in conjunction with the World Health Organisation. Recent years have seen the day observed in more than 60 countries with hundreds of events, ranging from educational and commemorative events to press briefings and public conferences.
Prince William's presence in Merseyside follows Queen Camilla's visit to the city last week. She toured Spellow Hub Community Library before visiting Speke Hall on Friday afternoon, meeting Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the author and illustrator of The Gruffalo, and discussing the importance of children's literacy.
