Prince Harry was welcomed with cheers and applause as he made his red carpet arrival in London’s Leicester Square for this year’s Mind Media Awards.
Harry braved the cold as he met the charity’s president Stephen Fry and ceremony host and Mind ambassador Fearne Cotton.
Fry told those gathered at the Odeon cinema ceremony, including singers Harry Judd and Frankie Bridge and television presenter Lorraine Kelly, that 2017 had been a “remarkable, perhaps breakthrough year for mental health awareness”.
Mental health is an area close to Harry’s heart, with the prince having launched Heads Together, a campaign to tackle stigma around the issue, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Fry said the royals’ focus on mental health awareness had had an “astonishing” impact in “getting the nation talking”.
President of Mind Stephen Fry addresses the audience (Stuart C Wilson/PA)
He added: “I think we can all agree that their so clearly passionate advocacy, energy and commitment has made the most extraordinary and welcome difference in the entire field of mental health in this country.”
Harry presented the Speaking Out award to 10 people who took part in the BBC Mind Over Marathon documentary.
The winners, who all received a hug from the prince, had lived with or been affected by mental health issues and trained together to compete in this year’s London Marathon.
Presenting the award, Harry told the audience: “They overcame their own fears and challenges and in the process, inspired every single one of us.”
Harry said he, his brother William and sister-in-law Kate had sensed “the country was on the cusp of something special” at the beginning of the year, as people began to speak more openly about mental health.
He commended the British public for “shattering the silence” around the issue and praised the media for getting behind their campaign.
He said: “In classrooms, in workplaces, around the dinner table, between friends, and even between strangers, people are now really talking about their own wellbeing and how to help those around us.
“And while just talking doesn’t cure all ills, we are now shattering the silence that was a real barrier to progress.”
Cotton, who has been outspoken about her own experiences of depression, joked that her “slightly wobbly brain” had in the past hindered her at work but on this occasion it got her the job.
Other award winners included ITV drama Cold Feet for its storyline on the depression suffered by character Pete, played by John Thomson.