Prince William breaks a sweat for an important cause – but it’s royal fans who are hot under the collar

Prince William’s latest gesture for Mental Health Awareness Week has had an unlikely effect on many of his fans

Prince William has fans hot under the collar as he gets active for mental health awareness
(Image credit: Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Prince William has donned his workout gear for an important cause – joining a crew of Royal Navy submariners who have taken on a Transatlantic rowing challenge to raise money to support the mental health and wellbeing of their colleagues. The Prince of Wales talks all things mental health, challenging the taboos and encouraging wider discussion, in the video. However, many fans are distracted by the Prince’s short shorts and athletic prowess in the clip.


Forget walking the walk, Prince William is taking it one step further when it comes to mental health awareness. He’s pushing the boat out, literally!

Mental health is an important cause for both William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and William has swapped his traditional suave suits for some sportswear as he digs deep and breaks a sweat for the cause.

The Prince of Wales, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Submarine Service, has released a YouTube video of his visit to the members of the HMS Oardacious crew as they took part in a training session on Dorney Lake in Buckinghamshire.

HMS Oardacious was set up in 2019 to fundraise through submariners taking on the challenge of rowing across the Atlantic.

£110,000 has been raised so far.

In the film, William meets co-founders, Lieutenant Commander Callum Fraser and Lieutenant Commander Hugo Mitchell-Heggs, as well as Chief Petty Officer Jon Norfolk who took part in the 2022 team and Lieutenant Isobel Rawlinson who is looking to captain an all-female team in 2024.

In the clip, they have a frank and open chat about vulnerabilities, understanding empathy and more.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson has said of the initiative, “Together they discuss the importance of managing our mental health and how exercise can be used as a tool to help manage it. The crew also share their experiences of crossing the Atlantic, the challenges they faced and the impact it had on both their physical and mental health.”

“Back in the boathouse, William hears from the crew in more depth about how they manage their mental health, the support they provide to each other as a team, and the work HMS Oardacious does to raise awareness and combat the stigma associated with talking about mental wellbeing.”

Prince William has joined Royal Navy submariners to talk mental health

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

A noble cause, indeed, and while many fans on social media have shown their support for the important work William has done – with one writing Diana “would be extremely proud” – others have their attention going elsewhere.

Notably, Prince William’s legs.

Among many comments noting how “handsome” William looks in his sports kit, one fan cheekily wrote, “We need more of Prince William in shorts for our mental health” followed by a string of emojis.

Another added, “His Royal Hotness has done it again.”

Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.

Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.