Prince William makes ‘heartbreaking’ call with Australian flood victims

London: Prince William has offered his support to members of Australia’s regional communities affected by flooding, urging them to take care of their mental health in a video call released by Kensington Palace.

The Prince of Wales, who has been keeping a low profile amid the media storm that engulfed his family following the release of his younger brother Harry’s memoir spare partspoke to people from across the country, including small business owners, frontline responders, and local and indigenous community leaders.

He tweeted about his conversation on Friday London time (formerly Saturday AEDT) and said: “It is encouraging but heartbreaking to speak to some of those affected by the severe flooding in Australia.

“As always, their sense of community and selflessness is humbling, but it’s horrific that such devastation seems to be happening more frequently.”

Williams is the founder of the Earthshot Prize, a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the world’s biggest environmental problems.

Australia has been largely hit by flooding over the past 12 months, starting in NSW last year, then in Victoria and last month in South Australia and Western Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology said 2022 was the ninth wettest year on record.

Loading

The prince, who is next in line to the throne after the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II in September, spoke to Daniel Cleave and Curtis Arthur, who own a small business in Shepparton, Victoria, and Grace Langlands, who is a member of the State of New South Wales Emergency Service.

Maureen Carter, the chief executive of the Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service in Kimberly, Western Australia, was also on the phone. In the past few weeks, your region has experienced a flood event that occurs every 100 years. Brad Flowers, who owns the Overland Corner Hotel in Upper Murray, South Australia, also joined the conversation.