Prince William visits business festival in Liverpool and opens mental health centre

The Duke of Cambridge was given three handmade satchels for each of his children as he visited Liverpool on Tuesday. 

He opened a new centre in the city for men struggling with mental health issues and also met with business leaders.

Prince William attended the International Business Festival at the Exhibition Centre on the waterfront, hosted every two years in its home city of Liverpool.  

Business leaders flocked around the Duke of Cambridge as he looked at some of the handmade bags created for him

The duke also received several handmade gifts from some of the businesses at the event – however, it is unclear if he kept any of them. 

The duke met with delegates, visited exhibitors and could be seen meeting with young entrepreneurs before giving an address to business leaders.

The event is the biggest business festival in the world and the duke could be seen shaking hands with nervous school children. 

He shook hands with a robot hand that had been designed by a 3D printer as he took in the festival. 

He even received three beautiful handmade satchels, emblazoned with the names of his three children - though it is unclear if he kept the gifts

He even received three beautiful handmade satchels, emblazoned with the names of his three children – though it is unclear if he kept the gifts

The Duke of Cambridge shakes a robotic hand made by a 3D printer during a visit to the International Business Festival at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool

The Duke of Cambridge shakes a robotic hand made by a 3D printer during a visit to the International Business Festival at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool

In his speech to business leaders from all over the world, William said: ‘Although our backgrounds may be different, we are all united by our shared connection through trade.

‘Britain has always been a champion of trade and a hub for commerce and exchange between our nations. There is perhaps nowhere in the country that embodies this more than Liverpool.

The duke met with delegates, visited exhibitors and could be seen meeting with young entrepreneurs before giving an address to business leaders 

The duke met with delegates, visited exhibitors and could be seen meeting with young entrepreneurs before giving an address to business leaders 

The International Business Festival is hosted every two years and this year's event will see a speech from the Duke

The International Business Festival is hosted every two years and this year’s event will see a speech from the Duke

‘But the festival also gives us an opportunity to look beyond the immediate term and at our collective future.

‘It is only by investing in the skills of our young people in enterprise that we will be able to build the fair and prosperous society that we want our children to inherit.’ 

Max Steinberg, chairman of the International Business Festival, said: ‘The support of the duke has helped us to champion the importance of the business sector, and to inspire, connect and inform businesses from across the UK and the world.

‘Making new global connections will help the small and medium businesses at the Festival to find growth and reach their potential.’ 

Prince William could be seen greeting excited schoolchildren during his trip to the International Business Festival

Prince William could be seen greeting excited schoolchildren during his trip to the International Business Festival

The Duke of Cambridge later met the mother of a young man who took his own life as he opened the UK’s first centre outside of a clinic or hospital for helping suicidal men.

James’ Place, a four-storey town house in Liverpool’s Georgian quarter, is a new initiative formed by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley, the parents of James Wentworth-Stanley, 21, who took his own life as a student in Newcastle in 2006.

During the visit, the duke heard that both young and middle-aged men are especially at risk of suicide as they do not use conventional medical services, sometimes through stigma or a sense of shame, when they are in crisis.

James’ Place aims to offer a calm, friendly, non-hospital or clinic environment, where men can get help.

James’ younger brother, Harry, and three friends rowed across the Atlantic in 2016, raising £600,000 in donations to help build the centre, which has been 10 years in the planning, since James’ death.

Royal fans wait with mobile phones and iPads in hand to see William arriving in Liverpool

Royal fans wait with mobile phones and iPads in hand to see William arriving in Liverpool

James’ mother, who is the Marchioness of Milford Haven, thanked the duke for ‘bringing the subject out of the shadows’ as he officially opened the centre.

She said: ‘Thank you for coming today, it means the world to us.

‘Very much spurred on by our own tragedy and our own experience of James’ looking for help when he felt very anxious and suicidal in Newcastle, for him not finding that help, the help he needed anyway.

‘I always felt had a place like this existed, he might still be here today.

‘So that was a very compelling reason to start this project.

‘I feel very much that James is here with us.’

Taking referrals from local hospitals, student counselling services, police and street triage services, visitors will be offered a service of one-to-one free therapeutic support during their time of need.

Visitors will have an initial appointment to find out the treatment needed and then will be offered a tailored service of one-to-one free support.

James’ family, who are from Hampshire and Worcestershire, have no connections to Liverpool, but set up the centre in the city as the local health authority, Mersey Care, were the most receptive to the project, they said.

Speaking to parents who also lost sons to suicide during the hour-long visit, the duke said: ‘Suicide really is a quite a big problem, and we don’t talk about it.’ 



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