MENTAL health groups praised Prince Harry’s emotional and open discussion of his struggles with anxiety and grief.

The prince described how he sought counselling to deal with the death of his mother Princess Diana after suppressing his emotions for almost 20 years.

Local charities have hailed the interview which they hope will encourage more people to talk about their own mental health issues.

Swindon Mind offers support and guidance to people who struggle with mental health issues in the town and work to improve mental health facilities in Swindon.

The charity’s chief executive Donna Lovell said: “It is inspiring to hear that Prince Harry has spoken so openly about his own difficulties coping with his mother’s death, difficulties which affected his personal and professional life and led him to seek professional counselling.

“It is also very encouraging to hear that the Royal Family are highlighting issues related to poor mental health.”

Mental health problems like anxiety and depression affect thousands of people each year and men in particular tend to suffer in silence as speaking openly about their feelings is stereotypically seen as not being manly.

Men in the UK aged 20 to 49 are more likely to die from suicide than any other cause of death.

Prince Harry set up the Heads Together campaign with fellow royals the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health and suggest that a British ‘stiff upper lip’ attitude can sometimes do more harm than good.

Miss Lovell added: “It’s so important for positive male role models to educate and raise awareness of mental health and to encourage other males to speak out about how they feel, especially when we know that three out of four suicides are completed by males. Sadly, very often family and friends are unaware that their husband, brother or son is struggling and in many cases these individuals are not known to the mental health services.

“Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are doing a great job of highlighting mental health and every time someone in the public eye speaks up we know that it encourages ordinary members of the public to do the same.”

Heads Together is the charity of the year for 2017’s London Marathon. It’s a partnership between charities Contact, YoungMinds and Best Beginnings which offer support to military personnel, children and new mothers who are or at risk of suffering from mental health problems.

Miss Lovell said: “The most important thing is that people keep talking about mental health and that they seek help when needed. Such help might be from a GP or an organisation like the Samaritans or Swindon Mind.”