'Talking therapies don’t work for some people': Kate Middleton takes dig at Prince Harry over 'Spare'
BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND: Just two days after the release of Prince Harry's explosive tell-all 'Spare', Kate Middleton seems to have taken a subtle dig at yhe duke during a recent royal engagement. On Thursday, January 12, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Open Door Charity in Birkenhead, England, which provides access to arts-based therapeutic support. During a conversation with a young man there, who talked about how music as a tool helped him express his emotions, Middleton said, "Talking therapies don’t work for some people, they’re not for everybody."
In his memoir, released on January 10, 2023, Harry opened up about his grief following the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He also came forward and told the world about his strained relationship with his brother, Prince William. He even talked about the importance of therapy and expressed his gratitude towards the therapists who helped him in his journey. 'Spare', focuses on Prince Harry's life and his role of a royal "spare", in the shadow of his older brother, who is the heir to the British throne.
RELATED ARTICLES
Prince Harry expected sympathy after 'Spare', the Internet gave him something else entirely
On January 12, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Liverpool's brand new hospital and later headed to the Open Door Charity, a vibrant organization that helps support young adults. This was the couple's first royal appearance since 'Spare' was released. The memoir sold more than 1.4 million copies on its release day. The couple spent time with Open Door's volunteers, mentors and staff to learn about the progressive therapeutic models that have been developed to help young adults face any number of challenges.
During their visit, the Prince and Princess of Wales met with four teenagers who were participating in the charity’s Oomoo program, which offers activities associated with the arts. As quoted by People magazine, Middleton asked a young man, "Has producing music and taking part in those workshops helped? Has it helped you with your personal lives?"
To this the young man replied, "For me, having that music as a tool is good for me to express my emotions through something I can enjoy. Producing music and letting out what you’re feeling is better than saying it in a clinical atmosphere. I can put it into words. That was tough to explain!"
Following this Kate replied, "Talking therapies don’t work for some people, they’re not for everybody," she added, "It’s so important to have a range of therapies."
She further talked about the stigma around mental health, saying “Everyone is talking a lot more about mental health. There have often been negative connotations around it. But if we get across that there are these more positive spaces and experiences out there, then we are changing how we talk about it.”
Dan, who works on the Oomoo program, told People that they gave the royal couple their album to listen, which they said they would put on in the car. Dan further added that couple is 'really knowledgeable', "You could tell that they were really knowledgeable. Particularly Kate, you could tell. It would have been easy for them to come in and not have done the research and not have known about it. But it came across how much they know mental health is a problem and how they know there's not one way to solve it and how interested they are in finding the ways people are helping other people and what they can do to make that more of a nationwide thing. They definitely really care."
The outlet further noted that mental health is one of the main areas of focus for the Prince and Princess of Wales' Royal Foundation, which was set up by Prince William and Prince Harry in 2009 and their wives jointly following their marriages. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle left the Royal Foundation in June 2019.