Prince William is spreading the word about mental fitness as part of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk Series. The series, which features a slew of celebrities including Dolly Parton, Randall Park, Shawn Mendes and Kesha, is focused on encouraging Apple Watch users to walk. 

In a sound clip of the series shared by the Toronto Star, Prince William discusses the stigma behind mental health. He pitches mental fitness as a way to actively take care of your wellbeing, like going to the gym to take care of your body. 

He also discusses memories of his late mother Princess Diana, and shares a memory of her singing the Tina Turner’s song "The Best" on the way to drop him off at boarding school. 

WHY IT MATTERS 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of anxiety and depression increased dramatically. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 41.1% of adults report anxiety or depressive disorder symptoms in January 2021, which is up from 11% in 2019.  

Young adults have been impacted the hardest, with 56% of those ages 18 to 24 reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression. The report also found that communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by depression and anxiety during the pandemic. 

THE LARGER TREND 

Prince William has been an active supporter of promoting mental health and wellbeing. In 2018, he launched Mental Health at Work, a service which helps link employers and employees to information and resources about mental health. 

The next year Prince William unveiled the launch of text messaging helpline Shout, a U.K. digital mental health service focused on helping people in times of crisis. 

Prince William isn’t the only royal interested in digital mental health. Earlier this year, his brother Prince Harry joined behavioral health tech company BetterUp as its chief impact officer.