Prince Williams Visits New York's Finest to Champion Mental Health Awareness

The Prince of Wales, 41, went to an FDNY fire station on Tuesday during his two-day visit to the city. While the majority of his overseas trip  was focused on the Earthshot Prize and environmental matters, along with meetings at the United Nations, his visit to the fire station was about a cause that is dear to William's heart: the mental well-being of first responders.

The Ten House Fire Station is located downtown near the World Trade Center, and six firefighters from this station lost their lives in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Despite suffering significant damage, Ten House played a crucial role as a command center and recovery site in the days following 9/11. It took two years to fully rebuild the fire station. Upon his arrival, the Prince of Wales viewed the FDNY Memorial Wall on the west side of the building.

During a royal tour of New York City in 2014, Prince William and Kate Middleton also visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Prince William interacted with both new recruits and long-serving firefighters to learn about their experiences working in the city and discuss the importance of prioritizing their mental well-being. Hamza Ahmed, one of the firefighters who guided Prince William during the visit, mentioned that the royal showed a keen interest.

"He displayed great curiosity, asking various questions. We talked about helmets, their origins, and the patches with embroidery,," Ahmed said. Ahmed demonstrated to Prince William how they organize their equipment for rapid response to emergencies.

Lt. Drew Kane, who is also a licensed social worker, shared that he provided Prince William with informational pamphlets on suicide awareness and PTS disorder.

"It was clear that he had a grasp of the subject," Kane remarked. "You could sense from his presence that he spoke from firsthand experience."