![Princess of Wales Royal family rugby Maidenhead Berkshire tribute Sarah Renton Issy Phipps suicide](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/royal-family/2023/06/07/TELEMMGLPICT000338535428_16861626974670_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Princess of Wales’s sweet promise to mother of rugby player who took her own life
Princess vows to wear a pair of earrings gifted to her by Sarah Renton, whose daughter Issy Phipps passed away last month
![Princess of Wales Royal family rugby Maidenhead Berkshire tribute Sarah Renton Issy Phipps suicide](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/royal-family/2023/06/07/TELEMMGLPICT000338535428_16861626974670_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680)
The Princess of Wales has vowed to wear a pair of earrings gifted to her by the mother of a rugby player who took her own life last month.
As part of her Shaping Us project, the Princess took part in a game of “walking rugby” in Berkshire, where she was joined by Courtney Lawes and Danny Care of the England men’s rugby team.
She wore a light blue England shirt, tracksuit bottoms and trainers, as she passed the ball to the rugby stars at the event at Maidenhead Rugby Club.
But amid the light-hearted contest, there was a poignant moment when she was introduced to Sarah Renton, the coach of the Maidenhead under-14s team, whose daughter Issy Phipps recently took her own life.
She gave the Princess a pair of star-shaped earrings that her cousin had made in Issy’s honour.
![Issy Phipps, who played touch rugby for England, took her own life in May](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/royal-family/2023/06/07/TELEMMGLPICT000338547340_16861628944450_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqS38LrDK3qkX-Lvlp13yB-8gGmO0ZJjyCRp_Q1M3bSoA.jpeg?imwidth=350)
![The Princess with the pair of earrings, made in Issy’s honour](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/royal-family/2023/06/07/TELEMMGLPICT000338535429_16861630287970_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqrRrjbfGu9QBozLgWxmK7N-EPXwBVCBG2yHRUDWucNoY.jpeg?imwidth=350)
The Princess was visibly moved as she hugged Mrs Renton and vowed to wear them.
Mrs Renton said afterwards: “My daughter Issy took her own life on May 29. 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.
“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 played 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 supposed to be.”
She added: “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. She got herself in a bit of a vacuum. It’s affected a lot of the parents and children here at the club but we are getting through it together.
“The Princess said she would wear the earrings. She is very passionate about what she does. It was so great that she came down here today.”
![Princess of Wales at Maidenhead Rugby Club](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/royal-family/2023/06/07/TELEMMGLPICT000338516011_16861631354920_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq-IWLY18X4-CzgyIcjLEAj0k9u7HhRJvuo-ZLenGRumA.jpeg?imwidth=350)
![Princess of Wales playing rugby](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/royal-family/2023/06/07/TELEMMGLPICT000338509451_16861434296730_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqA7N2CxnJWnYI3tCbVBgu9T0aesusvN1TE7a0ddd_esI.jpeg?imwidth=350)
In January, the Princess outlined her vision for Shaping Us, her campaign about the importance of early childhood, warning that it was “essential” to understand how the first five years of a child’s life shape their future.
Wednesday’s event was the next step in the Princess’s project as she hoped to help shift public opinion so that there will be better mental health support for parents, improved investment and training in the early years sector, and systemic change in how development is measured.
In turn, it is hoped those changes will prevent issues such as homelessness and addiction in later life. It is a long-term campaign that will form the foundation of her future work.