Prince William drops in on delighted schoolboy, 12, who wrote a personal letter last year inviting the future King to the school’s mental health presentation

A young boy got the surprise of his life this morning when the Prince of Wales came to his school after receiving a letter last year inviting him to check out their mental health initiatives.

Freddie Hadley, 12, posted his letter to Sandwell, did.

To his delight, William replied personally, writing: ‘Good afternoon Freddie, I am so sorry that Catherine and I cannot be with you and the rest of the students at St Michael’s today. ‘Tackling mental health challenges and stigma is so important, please continue this important work. W’

But Freddie’s letter clearly had a deeply moving effect on the prince, who asked his team to secretly arrange a visit to the school the next time he planned public meetings in the West Midlands.

And today he shocked the schoolboy and his classmates by arriving unannounced on the first of three assignments in the region.

The Prince of Wales has arrived at a school in the West Midlands to surprise a schoolboy who wrote to him earlier

It is the first time William has hosted a so-called ‘royal away day’ since news of the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis and treatment was publicly announced.

St Michael’s takes a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing and achieved a gold standard award from the Carnegie Center of Excellent for Mental Health in Schools in May 2022.

The school launched ‘Student Voice’ in 2012, consisting of up to 100 students who meet at lunch, after school, in the evenings and during school terms to develop initiatives ranging from fundraising to mental health support, including working with older members of the community.

Little Freddie, pictured, wrote a letter to the Prince of Wales last year to inform him of a mental health initiative he and his friends set up at school

Freddie and William appeared to be chatting immediately after meeting, as the prince arrived to find out more about Freddie’s work in mental health

William looked sharp in a black suit with a black skinny tie as he arrived at the school today for the first of three appointments in the West Midlands

Prince William looked sharp in a dark suit with a blue checked shirt and a thin black tie as he smiled upon arrival

Freddie Hadley, 12, wrote to the Prince of Wales last year telling him about the initiative he and his peers have set up to help students manage their mental health

The team of enthusiastic student wellbeing ambassadors also help design and implement a range of initiatives to support students.

During his visit, William plans to meet representatives from Student Voice and take part in a session with the Matrix Project, which is set up to raise awareness of men’s mental health and sees boys aged 11 to 14 meet weekly to develop ideas and projects to tackle mental health. challenges.

The group launched the #AmIManlyEnough campaign last year to tackle the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and encourage men and boys to communicate more about their feelings.

After initially apologizing for not being able to visit Freddie and his classmates, William waved goodbye to St. Michael’s school before arriving today

He will also take part in a workshop with a larger group of students discussing a range of issues related to mental health and wellbeing, including designing their own rest packages and their dream wellbeing hub.

In his letter to William last year, Freddie politely wrote that he and his friends #AMIMANLYENOUGH? with the aim of tackling the stigma that ‘girls cry and boys get angry’.

“Through our work we have discovered that suicide is the leading cause of death among young men and that this will not change unless people start the conversation,” he wrote with extraordinary maturity.

“Our passion for mental health has given us the opportunity to organize and lead community events, appear at national conferences, participate in radio interviews and even gain celebrity endorsements.”

He invited the heir to the throne to participate as a VIP guest in the ‘soft launch’ of their campaign on World Mental Health Day.

And although William unfortunately had to decline on that occasion, he decided to see their work in action at some point in the near future.