Prince William Visits Birmingham School Solo After Receiving an Invitation on Social Media

Prince William is continuing his and Kate Middleton's mental health advocacy work, even though the princess is currently battling cancer.

The father-of-three traveled solo to England's West Midlands, on Thursday, April 25, to see St. Michael’s Church of England High School in Sandwell after receiving an invite via social media.

In 2023, 12-year-old Freddie Hadley wrote a letter to the Wales that was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, for World Mental Health Day.

At the time, the couple wasn't able to visit Hadley's school, but the future king didn't forget about his request.

"Good afternoon Freddie, I’m so sorry Catherine and I can’t be with you and the rest of the students at St Michael’s today," William wrote in response to Hadley. "Tackling mental health challenges and stigmas head-on is so important, please keep up this important work. W."

When meeting Hadley in person, William declared, “Your letter worked."

While at St Michael’s Church of England High School, the former Duke of Cambridge learned about the Matrix Project which brings boys ages 11 to 14 together for weekly meetings to brainstorm ideas and projects to regarding mental health challenges.

The group told William about their #AmIManlyEnough campaign, which pushes men and boys to discuss their emotional well-being.

“What a beautiful opportunity for our youngsters to shine a spotlight on everything we do in school," headteacher Christina Handy-Rivett told an outlet. "And to have His Royal Highness, who pioneers and supports mental health, it was such a special moment.”

“We are extraordinarily excited and so proud," she continued. "It’s such a unique response to help support and raise awareness of what we are undertaking as a school community to really engage strategies to support mental health and well-being."

Instructors at St Michael’s Church of England High School hope to create an environment that liberates attendees.

"We are always encouraging children to dream big — I say to them the sky’s the limit and don’t put limitations on yourself and if you don’t ask, you don’t get. And this is a perfect example of that," Kerry Whitehouse, senior mental health lead at the school, shared.

“For us to have members of the royal family who are actively championing mental health is incredible. For young people to look at the future king and see him championing work and being passionate about the same things as they are is incredibly important," Whitehouse continued. “It’s a huge issue which often gets overlooked. There is no price tag you can put on seeing influential people, on another scale — and these are global influencers — championing the messages our students believe in.”

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Sources spoke to People.