Prince William warns against use of word ‘heroes’ for frontline workers

Healthcare workers and other frontline warriors have been getting lauded far and wide and getting hailed as 'heroes' for putting their lives at risk for others. 

However, Prince William is reminding the public of the intricacies of language and the negative impact they can have on the fearless healthcare workers, urging them to let go of the ‘hero’ tag.

During his documentary Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, the Duke of Cambridge said after getting branded as “heroes”, healthcare officials and other first responders would not be able to ask for help.

"I think we've got to be very careful with the language that we use. [Healthcare workers] should rightly be hailed as superstars, and brave, and wonderful staff; but I'm very conscious from a mental health point of view that we don't alienate some of them,” he was quoted as saying by BBC.

He fears that the frontline workers would feel that "once they have this hero tag, they can no longer shake that, and therefore they can't ask for support, they have to be this strong pillar of strength, when in actual fact what we need them to be is examples of positive mental health."

He further encouraged healthcare officials to reach for help and prioritize their own health as well to make sure they come out of the crisis in “one piece.”