In honor of World Mental Health Day, Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran are teaming up to raise awareness. The famed pair discuss mental health in Harry’s home together, and ask viewers to be vigilant about looking after those “suffering in silence.” It’s an important message, but the video kicks off with a light-hearted ode to being Britain's most notorious redheads.
After a quick shot of Sheeran getting his beard trimmed, the video shows him ring Prince Harry’s doorbell, which dings to the tune of “God Save The Queen.”
The two sit down to discuss their video’s important message, and Harry says he believes Sheeran has the perfect “skill set” to write a song to raise awareness for the important issue. But it soon becomes clear that there's a miscommunication about what specifically they're advocating for. Sheeran jokes that he thought they were fighting the stigma against redheads.
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"People don't understand what it's like for people like us," he says. "With the jokes and snide comments. I just feel like it's time we stood up and said, 'we're not going to take this anymore. We're ginger and we're going to fight'."
Harry, of course, corrects him. Sheeran nonchalantly deletes the words “Gingers Unite” from his notes on his laptop.
From there, the video takes a sharp turn. Harry and Sheeran spread an earnest message about a cause they both care about. "Guys, this World Mental Health Day, reach out, make sure your friends, strangers — look out for anyone who might be suffering in silence,” Harry says. “We're all in this together.”
Both Sheeran and Harry have been long-time advocates for mental health. Sheeran has opened up about struggling with anxiety. Meanwhile, Prince Harry has made the topic a major part of his philanthropy work. In 2017, he launched the Heads Together campaign with Prince William and The Duchess of Cambridge to end the stigma associated with mental wellbeing. The program worked with eight different charities, and improved how services were provided to those suffering, CNN reports. Earlier this week, Harry also helped launch a campaign called #EveryMindMatters, created by Public Health England, in partnership with the UK's National Health Service. Its goal is to help people "take simple steps to look after their mental health," according to a Kensington Palace tweet.
Public Health England, in partnership with the NHS, have launched #EveryMindMatters to help people take simple steps to look after their mental health, improve their mental wellbeing and support others. pic.twitter.com/eAirA6pIpB
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 7, 2019
Mental health problems in the U.S. affect tens of millions of people each year — nearly one in five adults — according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Along with the Sheeran and Harry collab video, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a message, noting: "Both Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran want to ensure that, not just today, but every day, you look after yourself, your friends and those around you.”
The Sussex message continued: “There's no need to suffer in silence — share how you're feeling, ask how someone is doing and listen for the answer. Be willing to ask for help when you need it and know that we are all in this together."