Kate Middleton and Prince William tried their hand at netball and goalball while visiting a sports centre in Buckinghamshire to learn about how young athletes protect their mental health.
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in Marlow today (October 12) to take part in a mental fitness workshop run by the non-profit organisation SportsAid and its charity partner BelievePerform.
The royal couple spoke to young athletes who had competed on an international scale, as well as Paralympian Ellie Simmonds OBE and Commonwealth champion netball player Ama Agbeze, about the ways young sports people can manage their mental well-being as part of a series of engagements to mark World Mental Health Day, on Tuesday, October 10.
After joining athletes and their parents to discuss the best ways to balance the demands of a sporting career with mental health awareness, the Princess of Wales praised the young competitors for the “time they sacrifice to compete” and their commitment to “pushing their bodies to the limit”.
The royal couple then got stuck into some friendly competition, each joining a team of young athletes in the sports centre’s hall for a few rounds of netball, with the added challenges of loud noise and distractions to simulate the stress of competing at a high level.
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A member of the princess’s team told the prince, “We’re getting ready to beat you” as the game kicked off and at one point the couple went head-to-head whilst trying to score a goal, with Prince William joking, “You’re going to hit me in the head!” as Kate did her best to shoot the ball into the net.
They also tried their hand at goalball, a Paralympic sport for the visually impaired which sees competitors don blindfolds as they try to throw a ball into their opponent’s goal.
The prince and princess got competitive again whilst taking turns to get the ball into the goal, with Kate having more luck than her husband, who nevertheless described it as "an amazing game".
Ellie Simmonds, who won a total of eight gold medals for Team GB during her Paralympic career, said she had spoken with the prince about the ways he protects his own mental health, adding: "He said he tries to take a different perspective and look at things differently. Hearing that (royals) go through the same struggles helps me in a way."
A mother from High Wycombe, whose two children regularly train at the sports centre said meeting the royal couple had been "such an honour and a privilege".
She added: "I sat next to His Royal Highness, and he was really, really nice and easy-going. He talked about his three children and how they are so different in their reactions to winning and losing in sports.
"He said Louis because he's the youngest one, just takes it in his stride, Charlotte likes to get it right and George is the one who's a bit more competitive."
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