Prince William was filmed pulling a plastic horse that was taken on a 150-mile fundraising walk by a mother whose daughter committed suicide.
Emma Webb raised £50,000 to support her teenage equestrian when she took part in an eighteen-day trek from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales to the International Horse Show at ExCel London.
The inspiring mother was joined by the Prince of Wales on part of her colossal journey to raise awareness of mental health among young people.
Ms Webb posted a video to her Instagram account of the two walking and talking through Slough on day 13 of her fundraising campaign, dragging the horse behind them.
She wrote in the caption: 'A walk through Slough with HRH The Prince of Wales will always be the most cherished moment of my 150 mile fundraising trip to London. Walking for my beautiful Brodie.
'Go to doitforbrodie.co.uk to read more #SuicidePrevention #PrinceandPrincessofWales #mentalhealthmatters #amothersloveisforever'
The inspiring mum was joined by the Prince of Wales on part of her colossal journey to raise awareness of mental health in young people
Emma Webb raised £50,000 to support her teenage equestrian as she took part in an eighteen-day trek from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales to the International Horse Show at ExCel London
Ms Webb posted a video to her Instagram account of the two walking and talking through Slough on day 13 of her fundraising campaign, dragging the horse behind them.
Mrs Webb, who lost her daughter Brodie – a promising equestrian – to suicide aged 16 in March 2020, wants to raise awareness of mental health among young people. Her JustGiving campaign has already received £48,000 in donations for suicide prevention charities.
Emma was unaware of it when the Prince of Wales greeted her last week as she pulled the resin horse through the streets of Slough. A video shows him casually walking towards her and shouting 'boo' before embracing her in a warm hug.
She told MailOnline: 'He put his arms out and I thought 'alright, I'm going to have a nice cuddle', so he gave me a nice cuddle, or a Welsh cwtch!'
The campaigner, who walked with two other mothers affected by suicide, said at the time that it meant “everything” that Prince William, a well-known mental health campaigner, had come out to support her – and he even leaned with a hand to hug her pushing for miles for the 20 minutes he was there.
Emma said: 'I was aware that he had seen what I was doing on the news, but I wasn't aware that he would come down the streets of Slough and walk with me, so it was great! He appeared from behind the horse and shouted “Boo” at me!
'I turned around and was amazed that he was standing there. Me, a little old Welsh lady from Newport with a plastic horse and the Prince of Wales standing right in front of me!
'I didn't really know what to do when I saw him. He held out his arms and I thought, 'Okay, I'm going to have a nice cuddle,' so he gave me a nice cuddle, or a Welsh cwtch!'
“Getting a hug from the future king is just unthinkable, it was like an out-of-body experience.”
Emma said she and the other mother chatted with the prince for about 20 minutes about mental health, suicide prevention and their loved ones.
She also told the prince about the 'accidents' she had during her trek, including walking through mud, ice and along narrow towpaths – which broke chunks of Miles – but how kind strangers were always there to help her.
Emma Webb arrives at the London International Horse Show at ExCel London at the end of her 155 mile walk in memory of her late daughter
Mrs Webb crossed the finish line at the International Horse Show at ExCel London this afternoon on the eighteenth day of her colossal trek from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales
Brodie Webb (pictured) took her own life at the age of 16 after a driving session in March 2020
Ms Webb's JustGiving page for Riders Minds and PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide has already raised more than £47,000, almost an extra 60 per cent on top of the original £30,000 target
Ms Webb smiled happily as she arrived in London today as more than 2,200 people donated to her fundraising campaign for suicide prevention charities
Brodie, 16, was a promising equestrian with all A-star predictions for her GCSEs
Emma added of the prince's visit: 'For Prince William to come out and recognize what we're trying to do… it's just amazing.
“You can't get more supportive support than the Prince of Wales, so it really means the world to me that he has come out.”
Pictures show the triumphant mum crossing red tape at the exhibition center in east London as she is cheered on by followers including members of the armed forces in uniform.
She said after completing the trip, “I just hope it raised awareness and, you know, maybe prevents someone from committing suicide or encourages someone to start a conversation about seeking support.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast this morning, Ms Webb said as she set out to complete the final leg of her journey: 'I can't believe it's the last day, it's over so quickly.'
Ms Webb said she wanted to 'raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention'.
She was joined at the front of the convoy by her mother, Brodie's grandmother, Pam, whose voice trembled with emotion as she said she was “very proud” of her daughter.
Ms Webb's JustGiving page for Riders Minds and PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide has already raised more than £48,000, an additional 60 per cent on top of the original £30,000 target.
Although the challenge is now over, donations are still coming in: more than 2,200 people have sent something as of tonight around 5 p.m.