Princess Kate and Prince William Share Emotional Morning: 'Suicide Is the Last Taboo'

Prince William and Princess Kate continued their mission on Thursday to help tackle the taboo of suicide.

During a visit to a London hospital, Kate and William met with suicide survivor Jonny Benjamin and the man who helped save his life, Neil Laybourn.

During the meeting, William said, "Someone told me five people a day try to kill themselves. I was just blown away by the statistics."

Sitting on a sofa with Kate, Benjamin and Laybourn, he added, "For both of us, the mental health piece has got lots of aspects. It's such a big issue that we need to do something about it.

"We feel it's been raised higher up the ladder. It's suddenly bubbling just under the surface. Now we need to get up to the next level, to the surface."

Kate, who has championed efforts to beat mental health issues in children, stressed that childhood problems were the root cause of many afflictions adults face.

"We see through the work that we do with addiction, homelessness and knife crime that a lot of it stems back to childhood," said the royal mom, 34, who paired an Erdem coat (a rewear) with a swallow-print Jonathan Saunders dress.

William and Kate, just back from a brief ski break with son Prince George, 2, and Princess Charlotte, 10 months, have increasingly been immersing themselves in the bid to tackle mental health challenges, and understanding suicide and its prevention – and the bereavement that follows – is the next step.

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As revealed by PEOPLE, the couple and Prince Harry are set to kick off a three-pronged joint campaign later this spring on mental health issues.

But on Thursday, during a visit to St Thomas' hospital, where Benjamin was taken after his suicide attempt, they got the opportunity to learn more.

"It's an area people don't like to discuss," Benjamin told PEOPLE this week. "Having their support will bring that message to an even wider audience."

"If people like Kate and William can address these issues, the less people will have to hide and the more open and unashamed they will be."

William has come across the issue in his work as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. His crew has been called out to suicide cases involving young men. He has heard how the issue effects the homeless through is work with Centrepoint.

Benjamin, who is patron of Rethink Mental Illness, made a film about his experiences called The Stranger on a Bridge". It will be shown to some schoolchildren at Kensington Palace later on Thursday.

The royal couple will also meet some families who have suffered loss through suicide.