Kate Middleton's heartbreaking link to teen who revealed suicide plan before taking life

Kate Middleton, known for her passionate championing of mental health issues, has a heart-breaking connection to a rugby-mad teenager who confessed her to her GP before killing herself.

The has a connection to Isobelle Phipps, 17, who died at her parents home in Crowthorne, Berkshire, on April 19, 2023, following struggles with depression having previously worn her earrings. The earrings were by Isobelle's mother Sarah Renton when they shared an emotional moment when Kate visited the teen's rugby club in Maidenhead as part of a charity appeal last year.

Mrs Renton told Kate about Isobelle, known as Issy, before giving her the earrings that were made by a family friend. Kate said she would wear the jewellery at another date and in Isobelle's honour.

Kate was seen wearing them when she joined William for an engagement in Birmingham that marked World Mental Health Day on October 10 last year. William and Kate hosted Exploring our Emotional Worlds, a forum for young people that focuses on the importance of building positive relationships.

Mrs Renton previously said following her meeting with Kate in June last year: "My daughter Issy took her own life. 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"

reported Mrs Renton added: "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 payed 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 a supposed to be. 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 lack of support."

Isobelle is understood to have had an emergency GP appointment at the Staunton and Corse surgery in Gloucestershire on April 28, 2023, and she told a trainee practitioner of her "low mood and intent to take her own life." She also "expressed clear plans," said Dean Wilson Solicitors, who represented her family.

After taking advice from a supervisor, the trainee was told to refer Issy to a Crisis Team but no attempt was made to contact the family. “Despite being aware that Issy’s family were away and that Issy intended to take her own life, neither medical practioner took the steps to notify and involve Issy’s family to ensure her safety,” said the solicitors.

The circumstances surrounding Isobelle's death are still under investigation. A two-day inquest held earlier this year found her referral was rejected due to a "misunderstanding" between and specialists.

The solicitors stated: “Additionally, in the absence of securing a referral no further attempt was made by either trust (Gloucestershire or Berkshire) to notify Issy’s parents of her intentions to take her own life. Later that evening, Issy sent messages to her family and friends. Her parents attempted to contact her, but did not receive a response to their calls or texts. Issy’s parents asked a family friend to visit the house, who sadly found Issy deceased.”

Coroner Alison McCormick said in her conclusion: "The lack of notification of [Isobelle's] disclosed plan to end her life to her parents made a more than minimal contribution to her death."

Gloucestershire NHS Trust previously told The : "We extend our deepest sympathies to Issy’s family, friends and everyone who knew her. Since her untimely death we have worked with partners in Berkshire to identify what more could and should have been done to keep Issy safe and try to prevent this tragic outcome. We will ensure that learning from both the Inquest and our own internal review is embedded into practice within local health services, in the hope that we can prevent similar outcomes in the future."

A spokesperson from Berkshire Healthcare said: “We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Issy’s family and friends. As a Trust we always try to take learnings from tragic events and have carried out our own internal review into Issy’s case.

"As a result, we have put in place processes to improve communication in cross-border referrals including ensuring that a conversation between clinicians always takes place where crisis support is requested by someone outside of the county.”

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