Princes Charles to launch £10 million veteran charity appeal to help provide mental health support

The prince’s sons are well-known mental health advocates

The Prince of Wales has taken leaf out of his sons’ book to launch a veteran charity appeal to help those in need of mental health support.

On Monday evening, the septuagenarian will launch the Combat Stress At Ease appeal at a reception at St James's Palace, which will be attended by veterans treated by the mental health charity Combat Stress.

The organisation, which is in its centenary year, helps former servicemen and women deal with trauma-related mental health issues like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The At Ease appeal aims to raise £10 million over three years to meet the increasing demand for the charity’s services, with new referrals almost doubling to 2,000 a year in the last decade.

Combat Stress, of which the prince is the patron, has said the money raised from the appeal will allow it to continue to support veterans with services such as its PTSD intensive treatment programme, short-stay clinical treatment, and a free 24-hour helpline and text number.

The money will also go towards funding a new video therapy programme and help to expand the organisation’s peer support service.

The charity's president, General Sir Peter Wall, said the campaign will transform the lives of service men and women who have paid a "high price" for their nation.

"With your support, together we can transform the lives of those who have paid a high price for serving their nation,” he said.

According to the charity, research by King's College London has found that the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder is nearly twice as high among veterans as the general public.

It said that almost one in five veterans who served on the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan are predicted to get PTSD.

The appeal comes three years after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex launched a campaign, titled Heads Together, to end the stigma around mental health.

The campaign was adopted as the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon's charity partner and, with the help of Prince Harry’s wife, the Duchess of Sussex, the royals recently launched a text messaging helpline to support those struggling with poor mental health.

Ahead of Prince Charles' appeal launch, Prince William teamed up with celebrities including Stephen Fry and Katy Perry to record a minute-long message in which they discussed the importance of listening to mark Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May).