Prince and Princess of Wales discuss mental health with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Windsor Castle after he supported mindfulness app

The Prince and Princes of Wales welcomed Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, to Windsor Castle yesterday to discuss ‘the environment, mental health, and other issues’.

Cook, who took over as the boss of the tech giant in 2011 when its founder Steve Jobs stepped down, posted two photographs from the meeting to X, formerly Twitter, today. 

The businessman, 62, proudly stood beside Prince William and Kate, both 41, in one of the images, with the Princess looking smart in a navy pinstriped £549 Holland Cooper blazer and a cream turtleneck jumper. 

‘It was a true honor to meet with the Prince and Princess of Wales. We had a wonderful and wide-ranging discussion about the environment, mental health, and other issues that mean a great deal to all of us,’ Cook wrote in his post.

William, dressed in a navy suit with a light blue shirt, appeared to be deep in conversation with the CEO in another photo from their meeting. Two bags that appeared to have the Apple logo printed on them were also spotted in the snap.

The Prince and Princes of Wales welcomed Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, to Windsor Castle this week, to discuss mental health initiatives

Cook has long been an advocate for mental health.   

In an interview with Bustle the Apple CEO recognised that ‘mental health is a crisis’ that spares no one: ‘I know that I’m privileged in so many ways, but none of us are as privileged to the point that mental health is not a key factor in life.’

He also told the publication about why the company supported Shine, an inclusive mental health app. 

‘I think mental health is a crisis. And it’s one that has been stigmatized so much. It was for so long that people suffered in silence and in isolation. 

‘[Shine] have done this incredible job, bringing together community and stitching together a number of different things that will make [change] systemic in nature instead of a slogan. So I’m super impressed by what they’re doing and how they got started.’

Cook’s activism regarding mental health began in 2014, after he came out as gay, making him the first openly homosexual CEO on the Fortune 500 list.

Though Tim is ‘very proud’ of his sexual orientation and believes it to be ‘God’s greatest gift’ to him, he came out in light of bullying and abuse, according to CNN.

While the Apple CEO was not at the receiving end of the abuse, he received emails and letters from children who were being ostracized, bullied, and abused for being gay.

Cook (pictured with Prince William), who took over as the boss of the tech giant in 2011 when its founder Steve Jobs stepped down, posted two photographs from the meeting to X, formerly Twitter, today

‘It was a true honor to meet with the Prince and Princess of Wales . We had a wonderful and wide-ranging discussion about the environment, mental health, and other issues that mean a great deal to all of us,’ Cook wrote in his post

Despite considering himself a private person, he decided that by not publicly declaring his sexual identity, he was being ‘selfish’. ‘I needed to do something for them,’ Cook said.

He also wanted to prove to the world that gay individuals can still take on some of the most-respected jobs.

Since 2014, Cook has continued his pledge to help those struggling with mental health problems, and under Cook’s leadership Apple has increased its donations to LGBTQ+ charities around the United States.

Meanwhile, William previously teamed up with Apple Fitness+ to record an episode of Time to Walk in December 2021.

Palace aides said it was William’s idea to take part in the series after hearing previous episodes. Other guests have included country singer Dolly Parton, model Naomi Campbell and boxer Anthony Joshua.

For the episode, Apple made a six-figure donation to three charities chosen by William: Shout in the UK, Crisis Text Line in the US and Lifeline in Australia. 

All offer confidential mental health support helplines. The British charity runs a free text service on 85258.

The series was designed to encourage users of Apple Watches to get outside and walk while listening. At William’s request, his episode was made available for free online to everyone without the need for a subscription.

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