Royals on tour: Harry and Meghan's unassuming royal visit means "lives have been saved today"

Mission accomplished.

On a cup of tea and a cake in a typical kiwi café, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex pushed one of the last taboos even further into the spotlight.

Mental health, especially the need for people not to hesitate to talk about it and ask for help, was at the center of their visit to the Maranui Café, a deserted Wellington institution located above the rescue club. waves in Lyall Bay.

There, Prince Harry and Meghan met three tables of youth organizations such as Voices of Hope, Key to Life, Lifeline and the 1737 National Helpline.

Their interest and Harry's willingness to talk about his own fights will have had a significant and quick impact, according to one guest.

"Today, I guarantee that lives are saved," said Jazz Thornton, co-founder of Voices of Hope, a group dedicated to promoting mental wellness, empowerment and recovery.

"It means that people are starting to realize that mental health does not discriminate, no matter whether you are the prince, whether you are a student or whether you are a man or a woman – everyone has mental health and no matter who can fight with it. "

Mental health is one of the Prince's major problems since he has granted an extremely candid talk in the UK. The telegraph of the day last year.

Now 34, he revealed that he had sought advice after two years of "total chaos" in his late twenties, while struggling after the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Encouraged to seek the professional help of his brother, Prince William, Harry had reached "a good place".

The brothers and Kate, William's wife, are now leading Heads Together, an initiative to tackle stigma related to mental health and raise funds for new services.

The subject was a key part of his last speech on the Australian tour.

He said at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games for members of the armed forces wounded, sick or injured, that mental well-being was more important than fitness because "otherwise we can not survive, let alone flourish ".

No one in Maranui doubted the sincerity of the couple.

"They are so authentic, down-to-earth and passionate," Thornton said.

"Knowing that it's not just people who will say something on camera and then act differently … what they present is what they are and I like it so much."

As Harry led the discussion, his wife expressed surprise when Thornton co-founder Genevieve Mora said that some New Zealanders see people asking for help as trying to attract attention.

"Meghan was really shocked to hear that," Thornton said.

It is also shocking that the total number of suicides in New Zealand has increased four years in a row. The rate among 15 to 19 year olds is the highest in the developed world.

Lifeline's clinical director, Renee Mathews, who was at the same table as the Voices of Hope duo, said the Prince had not talked much about the scale of the problem in New Zealand.

"But he did say that he had spoken to the Prime Minister yesterday about the fact that it was a huge problem and that it had to be solved so that he had any evidence of basic knowledge. "

At the press conference that followed Cabinet, Premier Jacinda Ardern said that mental health was one of the topics discussed with her last night.

"I left with even more certainty that they are very sincere in their passion for this area and that they are very focused on it."

Ezekiel Raui, director of youth development at Key to Life Trust, was meeting the couple for the second time in five months.

Sent to London as part of the Queen & # 39; s Young Leaders initiative, he saw them at Buckingham Palace in June.

Unfortunately, there is not enough collaboration in the mental health sector, Raui said, in part because the path to government funding was between "genuine people to one another".

But the meeting today had highlighted the need for better communication.

"Based on my discussions with everyone present … we will not necessarily wait for a government organization or other organization to say that this is what we are doing Between the young people, we decided to take and we will get there. "

Raui was part of the third and last group to meet the royals.

In summary, Harry supported Raui's call for intergenerational change. He said that there was no quick fix to improve mental health "and I think people need to understand this."

On this, the couple is up. It was time to pose for photos and receive gifts.

From Lifeline, a bag and a baby outfit celebrate the organization's "72 Club" campaign – a variation of the so-called Club 27, which reflects the large number of musicians who took their lives at this age. Coffee, a box containing a T-shirt and a book on the long history of the building.

While they were turning to leave, Meghan, who was then wearing a badge promoting the 1737 helpline next to the poppy on her Club Monaco coat, addressed the group: "Do you all a really great job ", before starting to applaud.

Then Harry affectionately placed his right hand on his wife's shoulder and they disappeared.

"In all honesty, I love the fact that members of the royal family have engaged with us where we are most comfortable," Raui said. "In a cafe where most conversations begin and whose ability to make us feel, me in particular, gives me the impression that I am an individual and that I can be confident, it is absolutely amazing. "