Content warning: suicide, depression
Princess Kate once wore a pair of very special earrings, and this simple gesture helped raise a whopping £15k (~$20k) for a mental health charity.
In June 2023, the Princess of Wales visited players and staff at the Maidenhead Rugby Club as part of her Shaping Us campaign. There, she met a woman named Sarah Renton, who coached under-14 boys at the club. Renton is the mother of Issy Phipps, a teenage rugby player who tragically died by suicide earlier that year.
The two women had a beautiful exchange, with the princess photographed hugging the bereaved mother, and Renton gave Kate a pair of star-shaped earrings made by her cousin Sophie McGown, who is the founder of EAR SASS.
The earrings were named for Issy, and part of the proceeds from each pair go to the mental health charity Brave Mind, which focuses on supporting the mental health of people in the rugby community in the U.K.
But the story doesn't end there: Kate waited for World Mental Health Day last year to wear the star earrings, which of course she knew wouldn't go unnoticed as worn by the style-icon royal. She was pictured wearing the jewelry during a visit to the Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre with husband Prince William.
"On World Mental Health Day last year, she clearly waited and knew what she was going to do and wore them in honour of Issy, and we genuinely didn't really think she would, you know, I mean, certainly not necessarily on that day," EAR SASS founder Sophie McGown told the Daily Mail.
"We'd all kind of just thought, right, she would wear them one day, but it kind of went to the side, and then obviously it happened, and it was just mind-blowing."
Thanks to Kate's support, "For charity we've raised just over £15,000 now," McGown said. "The money is going into education. The charity is going in and educating people within the schools, rugby clubs, universities, and football clubs to spot signs, and they are doing suicide awareness courses with individuals, so they become a leader in suicide [prevention]."
If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or suicidality, please reach out to the 988 Lifeline or visit the National Alliance on Mental Health website for information and resources.
