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Duchess Of Cambridge Encourages Kids To Open Up About Their Feelings In New Video

"It helps us all talk about our mental health."

Mental health is an important issue for the young royals, and the Duchess of Cambridge is doubling down on her efforts to spread the message that everyone should start talking about what's going on in their heads.

In a new video, which was released Sept. 18 but recorded before Kensington Palace announced Kate was pregnant with her third child, the Duchess encourages children to open up about their mental health.

The clip, in fact, is an introduction to Middleton's patronage of the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families. It also explains how the charity worked with kids to create an animation designed to help them talk about their feelings and listen to their friends when they need support.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge view helicopter models on July 21, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. (Franziska Krug/Getty Images)
Franziska Krug via Getty Images
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge view helicopter models on July 21, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. (Franziska Krug/Getty Images)

"It helps us all talk about our mental health," the Duchess says in the clip. "What to say and who to talk to when we have feelings that are too big to manage on our own. And how to listen and help if one of our friends is finding things difficult. Sometimes it's just a simple conversation that can make things better."

Sometimes it's just a simple conversation that can make things better.

In a statement, as reported by Hello!, the mother-of-two said, "As parents, we all want our children to have the best possible start in life. Encouraging children to understand and be open about their feelings can give them the skills to cope with the ups and downs that life will throw at them as they grow up. It's important that our children understand that emotions are normal, and that they have the confidence to ask for help if they are struggling."

Encouraging children to understand and be open about their feelings can give them the skills to cope with the ups and downs that life will throw at them as they grow up.

As their children get older, Kate and husband Prince William will undoubtedly be talking to them about their mental health.

Now that Prince George, 4, has started school, he will have more experiences that could spark mental health issues. As William previously noted, he wants both of his children to have as "normal" a childhood as possible, and that includes interacting with people from all walks of life.

Prince George of Cambridge arrives for his first day of school with his father Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, met by Head of the lower school Helen Haslem on September 7, 2017 in London, England. (Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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Prince George of Cambridge arrives for his first day of school with his father Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, met by Head of the lower school Helen Haslem on September 7, 2017 in London, England. (Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

"I want to bring up my children in a happy, stable, secure world, and that is so important to both of us as parents," Prince William told British GQ in May. "I want George to grow up in a real, living environment. I don't want him growing up behind palace walls, he has to be out there."

The Duchess has been a long-time advocate for children's mental health. Last year, she guest edited HuffPost U.K.'s Young Minds Matter series, which focused on the problems, causes, and solutions to the stigma surrounding the U.K.'s mental health crisis amongst children.

"It became clear to me that many children — even those younger than five — have to deal with complex problems without the emotional resilience, language or confidence to ask for help," the Duchess wrote in a blog for the series. "And it was also clear that with mental health problems still being such a taboo, many adults are often too afraid to ask for help for the children in their care."

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews on May 20, 2017 in Englefield Green, England. (Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Pool/Samir Hussein via Getty Images
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews on May 20, 2017 in Englefield Green, England. (Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

She continued, "The mental health of our children must be seen as every bit as important as their physical health. For too long we have been embarrassed to admit when our children need emotional or psychiatric help, worried that the stigma associated with these problems would be detrimental to their futures."

To learn more about how to support a loved one who is battling mental health issues, click here for more resources.

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