Prince Harry launches mental health fitness project to help servicemen and women

The welfare of the United Kingdom's military community is a cause close to Prince Harry's heart. After the prince along with wife Meghan Markle quit as senior members of the British royal family, there were reports that the military will remain the prime focus of their philanthropic work as a non-working royal.

Within a month after officially ending his role as a senior member of the British royal family, Prince Harry has launched a new philanthropic project titled, HeadFIT in support of the UK military community. The online initiative which was launched on Monday will provide 24/7 access to mental health resources for armed forces personnel overseas in the form of exercises and counseling.

According to a report in Evening Standard, the project led by the Duke of Sussex has been in making for three years, in partnership with the U.K. Ministry of Defence and King's College London, as well as the Royal Foundation's Heads Together campaign. It was due to be unveiled in June, but the launch was preponed to help military personnel deal with the challenges during coronavirus pandemic.

In a video announcing the launch of the initiative, the 35-year-old said: "Today, when we talk about fitness, we don't just mean how fast you can run or how much weight you can carry. This is about mental fitness, strength, and resilience, not just while wearing a uniform, but for the rest of your life."

Addressing the military community, the father-of-one said that in order to be "truly fit, strong and healthy, you need to train your mind and body as one," adding that HeadFit will help them in achieving that goal.

In a separate statement, the British prince said: "HeadFIT is a proactive approach to mental fitness, focusing on our own potential to increase our performance, using proven methods in sport science."

The Duke of Sussex, who has himself served the UK military for 10 years, is also the patron of the Invictus Games Foundation which he launched in 2014 for wounded, injured, or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans. The 2020 tournament of the Games due to be held in The Hague, Netherlands in May was postponed last month for at least a year due to the COVID-19 crisis.