William says it has taken 'long time to understand my emotions'

The Prince of Wales has opened up about taking time to "understand my emotions" in a frank conversation about mental health.

Prince William told a special episode of Radio 1's Life Hacks that "we need more male role models" to talk about their mental health publicly in order to help other men do the same.

Taking part in a panel discussion about male suicide with host Greg James, he said that would help open discussions "become second nature to us all" and reflected on his own strategies for processing emotions.

During the panel discussion, Prince William reflected on his own feelings, saying: "I take a long time trying to understand my emotions and why I feel like I do, and I feel like that's a really important process to do every now and again, to check in with yourself and work out why you're feeling like you do.

"Sometimes there's an obvious explanation, sometimes there isn't. I think that idea that mental health crisis is temporary - you can have a strong mental health crisis moment but it will pass."

Prince William encouraged people to "learn to love yourself and understand yourself".

He also emphasised the importance of sharing your feelings, saying: "Part of feeling comfortable talking about mental health is understanding it."

He added: "We need more male role models out there, talking about it and normalising it, so that it becomes second nature to all of us."

He said support from organisations working in this area could also be "that little stepping stone" to get you through a difficult moment.

"And if we talk about that more, and educate people more, then hopefully the idea of suicide keeps being pushed further and further away.

"Because you know that tomorrow, you might wake up and you might feel very different."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.

The panel also featured Allan Brownrigg, director of clinical services at James' Place charity, as well as musicians Professor Green and Guvna B, and a young man, Nathan, who shared his personal experiences on the subject.

Rapper Professor Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, has campaigned on mental health for years and previously spoke in a BBC documentary, Suicide and Me, about losing his father to suicide.

He said he "jumped at the chance" to be a part of the panel, and that it aimed to highlight "the importance of discussions around men's mental health".

The rapper, 42, said he also wanted to remind people "that these conversations are important to have and it's okay to have them".

"I've got a little boy and I hate to think of him growing up in a world where he doesn't have a circle of friends that he knows he can go to, or services that he knows he can access if in a time of need, at a time when he perhaps doesn't have me," he said.

Professor Green, who is a supporter of the suicide prevention charity Calm, said he felt it was "incredibly important" to have the support of Prince William, "not least of all because of the openness that he shows up with, which I don't think people would necessarily expect".

"But he's obviously gone through his own life of suffering and experience and things he's seen firsthand," he said.

"And I just think it enables us to shine such a light on something that people will otherwise just avoid."

Prince William has regularly spoken about mental health and the impact of male suicide.

He had to pause during an emotional conversation with Rhian Mannings, who told the prince that her husband had taken his own life, five days after the couple had faced the death of their one-year-old son.

The new National Suicide Prevention Network, bringing together 20 organisations in this field, will be chaired by Professor Ann John, an expert in the prevention of suicide and consultant in public health medicine in Wales.

The Royal Foundation says preventing suicide is a "complex challenge" and there is no "one size fits all model of support".

But the new network, which will operate across the UK, will try to understand more about the root causes of suicide, as well as offering support for those affected.

Life Hacks is available now on BBC Sounds and will be broadcast on Wednesday at 8pm on BBC Radio 1, with BBC iPlayer and YouTube also available from 8pm.