Catherine, Princess of Wales has promised to wear a pair of earrings gifted to her by the mum of a young rugby player who took her own life.
The 41-year-old royal shared a poignant moment with Sarah Renton – whose 17-year-old daughter Issy Phipps died last month - during a visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club on Wednesday (07.06.23) as she was gifted a pair of star-shaped earrings that had been made in the teenager's honour.
The princess – who is the patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) – was moved by the gesture as she hugged Sara and vowed to wear them.
Sara, the coach of the Maidenhead under-14s team, said afterwards: "My daughter Issy took her own life on May 29. The proceeds from the earrings are going to a charity called Brave Minds, a mental health charity that supports children using the platforms of rugby clubs. Mental health is such an important issue.
"She was wonderful, Issy – a real breath of fresh air. She had wonderful, wonderful friends; surrounded herself with the best people.
"She was owning life, doing so well in her A-levels. She was going to do an elite rugby programme. She played touch rugby for England and got a gold medal in the summer.
"But she was also struggling with depression. Everything was harder than it was supposed to be."
Sara added: "We thought she was obviously doing better than she was. But I think one of the things we are looking at is GPs, medication and a lack of support. She got herself in a bit of a vacuum. It's affected a lot of the parents and children here at the club but we are getting through it together.
"The princess said she would wear the earrings. She is very passionate about what she does. It was so great that she came down here today."
The engagement was part of the royal's Shaping Us project and she also took part in a light-hearted game of "walking rugby" where she was joined by England internationals Courtney Lawes and Danny Care.
