Prince William reflects on his time in the air ambulance before making landmark announcement

Prince William has opened up about his own experience as a frontline worker.

The Duke of Cambridge revealed during his time as a search and rescue pilot with the air ambulance, he was often faced with confronting scenes he didn't want to burden wife Kate Middleton with.

"I often think about my time working for RAF Search and Rescue and the East Anglia Air Ambulance," he said during a speech at The Royal Foundation's Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium.

"I remember the pressure of attending calls in the most stressful conditions, sometimes with tragic conclusions.

"I remember the sense of solidarity with my team, pulling together to do the best we could and sharing the weight of responsibility.

"I also remember returning home with the stresses and strains of the day weighing on my mind, and wanting to avoid burdening my family with what I had seen."

The candid comments about his former job came as he applauded frontline workers for their efforts, particularly over the last two years.

During the symposium, the Duke of Cambridge announced a landmark initiative called Blue Light Together, which provides specialist support to emergency responders and their families.

The event brought together 200 leaders from across fire, ambulance, police and search and rescue.

Federal Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick and Mind CEO Paul Farmer were all in attendance.

"This is an unprecedented agreement, and it sends a powerful message to all emergency responders that mental health is, and will remain, a firm priority for the UK's emergency services," the Duke of Cambridge said.

"It means that, for the first time, a uniform set of standards for supporting the mental health of emergency responders will be adopted and integrated into their workplaces.

"This is a crucial step in ensuring that the staff and volunteers who work so tirelessly for our nation can be properly protected."

Today's announcement is a result of the Royal Foundation working together with emergency service leaders and partner charities to change the workplace culture on mental health, something Prince William told the audience "is extremely personal to me".

Prince William worked for the air ambulance for about two years, hanging up his pilot's uniform for full-time royal duties in July 2017.