The Prince of Wales was in Birmingham to officially open the latest James’s Place center, which provides life-saving support to men in suicidal crisis

Prince William opens James’ Place Birmingham on May 11, 2026.Credit : Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Prince William is keeping up his commitment to men’s mental health.

The Prince of Wales, 43, showed his support for a life-saving charity which works to tackle the crisis of men facing suicide. On May 11, as Mental Health Awareness Week began, he opened a new center for the charity James’ Place, which was set up 20 years ago in the name of a young man who died by suicide.

The center in Birmingham, in the English Midlands, is the fourth that Prince William has opened, following those operated by the charity in Liverpool, London and Newcastle.

Prince William opens James’ Place Birmingham on May 11, 2026.Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

Prince William toured the new center, meeting staff, local partners and service users who have been helped by the charity.

Official statistics highlighted by the prince’s office at Kensington Palace say that men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. Suicide is the single leading cause of death for men under 35, and in 2024, there were 560 deaths by suicide registered in the area around Birmingham, known as the West Midlands, and 415 of these (74%) were men.

The new centre offers rapid, professional therapy that addresses the root causes of suicidal crisis.

Prince William has made it a key part of his public work to tackle male suicide. When he was an air ambulance pilot, he saw the devastating effects on families after attending to tragedies in his work, and he has spoken about how one of his first calls in his job at East Anglia’s air ambulance service was to a young man who had died by suicide.

Prince William opens James’ Place Birmingham on May 11, 2026.Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty

In February, Prince William appeared on a BBC radio program, alongside Allan Brownrigg, Director of Clinical Services at James’ Place, to talk about the issue. During the Life Hacks program, the royal heir spoke about the toolkit he builds to help tackle challenges in his life, as he urged people to “learn to love yourself and understand yourself.”

James’ Place is one of five founding partners of the new National Suicide Prevention Network (NSPN), which was set up by the Royal Foundation that William shares with his wife, Kate Middleton. It hopes to bring about long-lasting change in how suicide is understood and prevented across the U.K. With help from the Royal Foundation, James’ Place is running two new pilot satellite services over 12 months in the North East and North West of England, to expand access to free, life-saving therapy in community-based settings.

Prince William opens James’ Place Birmingham on May 11, 2026.Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty

It is 20 years since James Wentworth-Stanley — for whom the charity is named — died by suicide, 10 days after he underwent a minor operation. But, following that, he had not been able to access the support he needed to cope with the anxiety and suicidal thoughts that closed in on him.

Prince William opens James’ Place Birmingham on May 11, 2026.Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty

Prince William’s visit comes two days before Princess Kate, 44, heads to Italy for a key trip of her own — to showcase the work of the early years’ professionals in the city of Reggio Emilia and widen the work of her own foundation for children to the international stage.