Prince William met emergency responders for a pint amid the fallout of his brother Harry's latest revelations and renewed heartbreak over the BBC's cover-up of the Diana interview.
The Duke of Cambridge, 38, looked cheerful and relaxed as he spent time at a pub beer garden in Edinburgh..
Amid a rift with his younger brother Harry, he highlighted the importance of speaking with family members and thanked the emergency responders at Cold Town House.
They chatted about the emergency responders' work on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic and the "mental health challenges they faced", while taking in football's Scottish Cup final.
A tweet on William's official account stated: "Taking this opportunity to thank Emergency Responders for their dedication and commitment over the last year.
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"Many of the emergency responders today were open about the mental health challenges they’ve experienced during the pandemic and how they coped throughout.
"We must ensure that all emergency responders receive the mental health support they need."
The duke, 38, who was on the second day of his Scotland tour, chatted while watching St Johnstone defeat Hibernian 1-0, with the game shown on big screens in the rooftop bar by Edinburgh Castle.
It comes just days after William lambasted the BBC over its Panorama failings and after the Duke of Sussex’s latest criticism of the Royal Family and his upbringing.
Harry, 36, accused the royal family of “total neglect” when his wife Meghan was feeling suicidal amid harassment on social media.
Speaking to a table of first responders, William asked how they had kept in touch with families during lockdown.
He said: “The funny thing is, when I spoke to my family I found it so good to catch up, but then you haven’t anything to catch up on because no-one had done anything.”
When one guest said they had not seen their in-laws for a year, William joked: “Some people are quite happy they haven’t seen their in-laws for a year.”
After laughter, he added: “I love my in-laws.”
The duke also took time before the match began to speak to communications manager Kirsten Walker, 36, and her sister, police officer Lindsay Walker, 39, whose father Brian Walker took his own life in June 2018 aged 68.
Lindsay said afterwards: “He seems to care a lot about mental health generally and the importance of talking and supporting each other generally.”
Kirsty said: “We’ve been affected by suicide and so we had a good chat about mental health and he was clearly passionate about it.
“We have both had traumatic bereavement, as he lost his mum and me and my sister have lost our dad.
“We are all trauma survivors and so is he.”
Those watching the game with William were either emergency responders or a family member suffering trauma and bereavement.
Many have spoken about their mental health challenges and how they have reached out for support.
William was in Edinburgh on Friday for his Heads Together initiative that uses football to fight the stigma of not talking about mental health issues in young men.
He has previously spoken about the impact of “traumatic” air ambulance call-outs while he was serving as an air ambulance pilot, which nearly took him “over the edge”.
Earlier in the day, William told how Scotland is the source of his saddest but also his happiest memories, as he gave an opening address at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
On the second day of his Scotland tour, the duke said he was at the Queen’s Balmoral home when he was told that his mother Diana had died in 1997, and he shared how he found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors in the “dark days of grief” that followed.
However, Scotland is also the place where he met his future wife 20 years ago this year, which he described as a memory of “great joy”.
William was appointed by the Queen as Lord High Commissioner to the assembly, which is taking place in “blended” form due to the pandemic, with a only a small number of people at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh and others watching online.
In his speech to the assembly on Saturday, William said: “Scotland is a source of some of my happiest memories but also my saddest.
“I was in Balmoral when I was told that my mother had died. Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service at Crathie Kirk that very morning and in the dark days of grief that followed I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors.
“As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep.
“Alongside this painful memory is one of great joy because it was here in Scotland 20 years ago this year that I first met Catherine.
“Needless to say the town where you meet your future wife holds a very special place in your heart.
“George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us and they are starting to build their own happy memories here too.”
The duke reminisced about his time at the University of St Andrews in Fife where both he and Kate studied.
He said: “I spent four very happy and formative years studying in St Andrews, the town and the students left me alone to get on with student life, allowing me to share their freedoms – and their pubs.
“Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart.
“I’ve been coming to Scotland since I was a small boy.
“As I grew up I saw how my grandmother relishes every minute she spends here and my father is never happier than in walking among the hills.
“My childhood was full of holidays having fun in the fresh air, swimming in lochs, family barbecues with my grandfather in command, and yes the odd midge.”
William's trip to Scotland came after his heavy criticism of the BBC for its failings in the handling of his mother’s Panorama interview.
On Thursday night, William took the rare decision to make a televised statement lambasting the BBC after an inquiry found the broadcaster covered up “deceitful behaviour” used by journalist Martin Bashir to secure his 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.
William said: He said: “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”
On Saturday, the duke, wearing a morning suit with the Order of the Thistle and diamond and golden jubilee medals, was greeted by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as he arrived at the venue on Saturday. He held a private audience with her after the opening.
During proceedings, the Rev George Whyte, chaplain-in-ordinary and principal clerk of the Church of Scotland, read out a letter from the Queen.
Marking the assembly’s opening in her letter, the Queen spoke of “new bonds” that have been “forged in times of emergency” that “will serve us all well in the future as the United Kingdom seeks to rebuild and reshape community life.”
William began a week-long visit to Scotland on Friday and the Duchess of Cambridge will join him on Monday for the rest of the tour.
He said: “As we try to emerge from a long period of uncertainty and turmoil, I am grateful for the chance I will get this week to really listen, with humility and compassion, to many people in Scotland, from all walks of life, from different traditions, and from all faiths, and none.”
His visit came as his brother Harry, 36, again spoke about deeply personal relationships with his family and his decision to go to therapy to help him cope with the trauma of losing his mother at such a young age.
The Duke of Sussex admitted he turned to drink and drugs as he dealt with the trauma of his mother’s death later in life.
And he once again lambasted the parenting skills of the Prince of Wales, criticising his father for expecting his sons to endure the pressures of royal life, just as Charles has done, instead of protecting them.
Interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for Apple TV’s The Me You Can’t See, Harry criticised his family, accusing them of “total neglect” when his wife Meghan was feeling suicidal amid harassment on social media.
And he laid bare his battles with panic attacks and severe anxiety, saying “so 28 to probably 32 was a nightmare time in my life”.
His comments, which were aired on Friday, are likely to increase the much publicised tensions within the royal family following Harry and Meghan’s bombshell interview with Winfrey.
In that programme the Sussexes first accused the royal family of not supporting them, claimed royal aides declined to help Meghan when she was troubled with suicidal thoughts and said a relative had made a racist comment about their son’s skin colour.
Meanwhile, the Queen on Saturday visited the Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth to wish the crew well as they make final preparations to depart on the carrier’s first operational deployment.
The £3 billion warship, carrying eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets, was set to depart Portsmouth Naval Base for Asia accompanied by six Royal Navy ships, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters, a company of Royal Marines.
