Prince William Speaks About Depression and 'Cringing' Moment With Singer Taylor Swift on Podcast

The Duke of Cambridge appeared on a special edition of Apple's "Time to Walk" podcast, whose aim is to encourage listeners to get outside and walk, while listening to stories of influential and interesting people, who also share their favourite music choices.
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Prince William has revealed one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. Speaking on the podcast "Time to Walk" the second in line to the throne recalled how during a gala in November 2013 he appeared on stage along with rock singer Jon Bon Jovi and pop star Taylor Swift. The event was aimed at raising funds for the charity Centrepoint that helps homeless people, a cause championed by the royal's late mother Princess Diana.

"I can't believe I'm actually telling you this story… I turn up and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet. And then, I went inside, met everybody, a lot of handshaking to do those nights, a lot of chatting. I try and be charming and interactive. Occasionally, you're not having a good day, and it's a little harder to come by. When I sat down to watch Jon Bon Jovi do his performance, I thought, 'That's it. My job is done'. I'll get a dinner in a minute, and I might be able to have a chat to some people, and, you know, I'm off-duty a little bit now", the Duke of Cambridge said.

The 39-year-old recalls how Bon Jovi started performing one of his most famous songs "Livin' on a Prayer". At one point, Taylor Swift turned to the royal, "put her hand" on his arm and said: "Come on, William. Let's go and sing". Prince William says he felt as if he was "in a trance" when he was walking towards the stage.

"To this day, I still do not know what came over me. Honestly, even now I'm cringing at what happened next, and I don't understand why I gave in. But, frankly, if Taylor Swift looks you in the eye, touches your arm, and says, 'Come with me...' I got up like a puppy and went, 'Yeah, okay, that seems like a great idea. I'll follow you'. Beneath my black tie, there was a lot of sweating going on. I felt like a swan, where I was trying to keep myself composed on the outside, but inside, the little legs are paddling fast", the royal said.

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, (R) sings with US musicians Taylor Swift (L) and Jon Bon Jovi (C) at the Centrepoint Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace in London, on November 26, 2013.

'The Whole World Was Dying'

The second in line to the throne also opened up about the dark days of his life – the mental health crisis he suffered while working as an ambulance pilot for two years between 2015 and 2017. The royal said he was deeply affected by what he saw during that time. "As a human being, when you see someone in such dire circumstances, basically at death's door, you can't help but not be affected by that", he said.
The 39-year-old recalled one case that caused him to suffer from depression. The incident occurred in 2017 when a five-year-old boy, Bobby Hughes, was knocked down by a student driver, while playing with his friends. Prince William was part of a team that rushed to the scene and then flew the boy to the hospital. Bobby sustained serious injuries and was left brain damaged, but made a partial recovery.
Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge refuels a helicopter as he begins his new job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) at Cambridge Airport on 13 July 2015

The royal revealed that weeks after the incident had occurred he was overwhelmed by negative emotions and felt as if "the whole world was dying".

"My personal life and everything was absolutely fine. I was happy at home and happy at work, but I kept looking at myself, going, 'Why am I feeling like this? Why do I feel so sad?' And I started to realise that, actually, you're taking home people's trauma, people's sadness, and it's affecting you. [It was] like someone had put a key in a lock and opened it without me giving permission to do that. You just feel everyone's pain, everyone's suffering. And that's not me. I've never felt that before", the royal said.

Prince William said he was "lucky" that he was able to discuss his mental struggle with his colleagues at the Air Ambulance service as well as meet the boy and his parents. The royal has kept in touch with Bobby and his family and offered his parents financial help for the toddler's rehabilitation.

Touching on a lighter note, the royal recalled songs his late mother Princess Diana used to play in the car while driving him and his brother Prince Harry to school. Tina Turner's hit song "The Best" was one of the tunes the Princess of Wales used to listen to.

"Sitting in the backseat, singing away, it felt like a real family moment. And my mother, she'd be driving along, singing at the top of her voice. And we'd even get the policeman in the car, he'd be occasionally singing along, as well. You'd be singing and listening to music right the way up to the gates of school when they dropped you off and that's when reality kind of sunk in - you really were going back to school", the father of three recalled.

Guests of the "Time to Walk" podcast often share their favourite music choices. Prince William revealed that AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" helps him to wake up in the morning to "get back into the grind of the week". "It absolutely wakes you up, puts your week in the best mood possible, and you feel like you can take on anything and anyone", he said.

His kids seem to have inherited his love for music, saying there is always a "massive fight" between Prince George and Princess Charlotte over whose song gets played.

"One of the songs that the children are loving at the moment is Shakira, Waka Waka. There's a lot of hip movements going along with a lot of dressing up. Charlotte particularly is running around the kitchen, in her dresses and ballet stuff. She goes completely crazy with [Prince] Louis following her around trying to do the same thing", Prince William said.

In this Friday Dec. 11, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prince William and Kate, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, Prince Louis, left, Princess Charlotte and Prince George arrive for a special pantomime performance at London's Palladium Theatre.
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