Prince of Wales opens James’ Place

Warning: This article discusses suicide and mental health awareness.

Prince William opened a new mental health centre in Birmingham this week.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, the Prince of Wales has officially opened James’ Place Birmingham. The new centre in the English Midlands offers rapid, professional therapy that addresses the root causes of suicidal crisis. Suicide is the single leading cause of death for men under 35, and, in 2024, 560 deaths by suicide were registered in the West Midlands, 415 of these (74%) were men.

This year marks 20 years since James Wentworth-Stanley — for whom the charity is named — tragically died by suicide. James’ Place was founded in 2008 by his parents following his death. Aged just 21, James died by suicide ten days after a minor operation, having been unable to access the urgent support he needed for severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts. His parents went on to establish James’ Place to prevent other families from losing the men they love.

In October, James’ Place became one of five founding partners of the new National Suicide Prevention Network (NSPN), established by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales to drive lasting change to how suicide is understood and prevented across the United Kingdom. Through the Network, funding from The Royal Foundation is supporting James’ Place to pilot two new satellite services over 12 months in the North East and North West of England, expanding access to free, life-saving therapy in community-based settings.

During the visit, Prince William toured the new centre and met with staff, local partners and service users who have been supported by James’ Place at other locations. The Prince also met with other NSPN innovation partners, including Papyrus, MindOUT, and The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA), to discuss what is working across the Network and to share key learnings.

The visit highlighted the free, life-saving support the charity’s newest centre is providing to men in suicidal crisis. The service is specifically designed for men, who are ‘three times more likely to die by suicide than women.’