Prince William disembarks his RAF Search and Rescue Sea King Helicopter in 2012. Photo / Getty Images
The Prince of Wales has said that he was lonely after he retired from his “traumatic” air ambulance pilot job.
The heir to the throne was speaking about his experiences as a first responder during a roundtable discussion with emergency service personnel about the importance of protecting their mental health while doing the job.
The 41-year-old warned the young emergency workers they could face a “cliff fall” of loneliness after they left their work in service, telling them that the trauma “catches up to you”.
“For me, the traumatic jobs were what triggered me,” he said.
“The biggest issue was when I left altogether … when you do retire or step away from what you’re doing, don’t underestimate that a bit of a cliff fall can happen.
“Because not only do you suddenly – life suddenly catches up to you a little bit – but then you’re also quite isolated … your teammates aren’t around to catch you and that can feel quite lonely and isolating.”
The Prince worked as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service from 2015 to 2017.
He has previously been vocal about taking the trauma “home” with him and how he struggled to deal with certain incidents.
Speaking during a visit to an emergency services hub in Milton Keynes, he said: “I had an armour up, as I know you all do, but a couple of them penetrated in.
“I can’t explain how or why they did and I couldn’t shake them and they built up over time. Then each job I went on after that I couldn’t quite keep it away, I’d take it home, and then it just built from there.”
He met the group of young first responders while on a visit to the Blue Light Hub in Milton Keynes, which serves as the operational base of South Central Ambulance Service, Thames Valley Police and Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
It is one of a series of engagements by the Prince and Princess of Wales this week to mark World Mental Health Day, which took place on Tuesday.
The Prince is passionate about supporting the mental wellbeing of those in the emergency services after his time as an air ambulance pilot and also as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot.
Kicking off the discussion with young responders, the Prince said: “As you know it’s world mental health week, so it felt very appropriate to come and have a chat to you guys and highlight again the fantastic work that you do on a day-to-day basis … but also to understand where the pressure points are in your day-to-day lives.
“I’d love to hear about how we’re getting on with the taboo and stigma around mental health. Are we making the difference that we think we’re making? I want to hear it from you guys because that’s where it matters.”
The group was joined by Dr Sian Williams, the former BBC journalist turned NHS clinical psychologist, who now works with the emergency services in the centre for anxiety, stress and trauma.
She told the Prince: “We’re here to shine a spotlight on the really important issue of mental health in the emergency services and we know how committed you are and you also have an understanding of the different challenges you can face on the front line.”
Speaking after the Prince’s warning of how difficult it can be after retiring from service, she said: “He’s an incredibly powerful advocate because he knows what it’s like to work on the front line and the challenges that you face while doing that, the emotions that it can bring up, and how best you can process those emotions.”
The Prince also told young people from the emergency services that he was advocating for “decompression breaks” in their career so they could clear their heads.
“We have to be better at managing your mental health, for the long-term welfare of all of you guys and the long-term efficacy of what you guys do,” he said.