AN OXFORD mental health charity has welcomed Prince William’s call for an end to ‘stiff upper lip’ culture.

Restore, which helps former drug addicts, ex-offenders and homeless people get back into work, said it had been preaching the same message itself for years.

The Prince pledged yesterday to ensure his children ‘grew up feeling able to talk about their emotions’, saying the taboo around mental health problems needed to be overcome.

It came after his younger brother Prince Harry also spoke over the weekend about how he had struggled for years to come to terms with the death of his mother Princess Diana.

Speaking yesterday, Restore acting CEO Simon Newton said: “We very much welcome this show of courage.

“It helps from our point of view to help make mental health issues normal, which they are, and it enables more people to have conversations about how to make positive change.

“We have been banging the drum for this kind of change for years – mental health needs to be treated more like physical health.”

Mr Newton said the Princes’ messages were particularly good timing as they tied in well with the ethos of its current partnership word with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxfordshire Mind and other mental health groups in the county.

He added: “We want to help people take the first step towards acknowledging these things and seeking help.”