The Duchess in Beulah London for Mental Health Minute Message

To mark Mental Health Awareness week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined several well-known faces, including David Tennant, Anthony Joshua, Dua Lipa and England football captain Harry Kane, for a special message broadcast simultaneously across all UK radio stations. William said: "We’re all connected, and sometimes just talking about how you're feeling can make a big difference. So right now, let's join together across the UK and reach out to someone."

The Duchess added: "If you’re struggling, it’s important to talk about it. Or if someone you know is acting differently, it’s OK to ask how they are, use this moment to send a message."

Mental Health Minute was produced by Heads Together and is one of a number of legacy projects and efforts currently active. Actor David Tennant aptly summed up the coming challenge: "We all need each other more than ever and in the weeks and months ahead of us, we will all have an important role to play in being there for one another."

This year's theme is kindness.

To mark the week, stories of kindness in the most difficult and challenging times have been shared.

The Mental Health Foundation shared Suba's story, a junior doctor on the front lines in the NHS:

'I’m Suba, a junior doctor currently working in the Emergency Department. I have worked in the NHS for almost 4 years. There are many challenges that I expected to face when becoming a doctor, but the most difficult things have often been the ones I didn’t anticipate:

 Feeling like a stranger at work because no one knows your name.  

Constantly rotating between departments and coming on and off on call shifts, nights, and weekends. 

 Tired and frustrated colleagues, patients or their relatives being snappy with you.  

Feeling helpless when faced with patients with social issues that you don’t know how to help.

Barely having time for your loved ones or hobbies between work, studying for exams and preparing for interviews.  

It has been a very challenging time as anticipated, but the one thing I didn’t anticipate was the immeasurable acts of kindness and gratitude that I have experienced. These have been a saving grace. The cumulative effect of these acts of kindness has kept my jug filled so I can keep doing my job:   

 Local people sewing scrubs, laundry bags and ear protectors for staff.  

Car park companies allowing staff to park for free in hospital car parks.  

 Councils allowing hospital staff to park freely on surrounding roads.  

Airline companies running lounges in hospitals for staff, serving hot drinks. 
Local catering companies and restaurants donating free food regularly. 
The loud and enthusiastic weekly claps from neighbours.  

 Supermarkets allowing staff to have designated times and priority when shopping.

There is a clear shift even in the culture at work with different specialties working together and staff working more flexibly than ever. Appreciation is widely shared between colleagues; we receive regular messages of encouragement from senior management and I have never had so many patients tell me how grateful and proud they are of me.'  

For more stories like Suba's, a range of available mental health resources, and to find out how you can play your part this Mental Health Awareness Week, please click here.

The Duchess wore Beulah London's Calla Rose Red Floral Dress for the recording (with thanks to Katie's Royal Love).

The £550 dress is described: "The Calla Rose Red Floral Shirt Dress evokes a classic mood. It’s crafted from silk crepe de chine and trimmed with a contrasting white cotton broderie lace collar and cuffed balloon sleeves. Note the concealed placket - a contemporary touch - and A-line skirt. Team with ballet flats for an effortless display." The dress is available at Matches Fashion and on the Beulah London website. 10% of profits from each sale are donated to empowering women all over the world.

The dress is a very nice choice and one I could have seen Kate wearing for the Chelsea Flower Show. There will be virtual activities in place of this year's flower show, and I expect we may see something from the Duchess.