PRINCE Harry has met the head of a Yeadon-based gender issues charity during a royal reception at Buckingham Palace.

Susie Green was at the palace for an event hosted by the prince and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to acknowledge the contribution of people working in the mental health sector.

She described the invitation as a huge honour for her charity Mermaids and said she had spoken briefly to the prince.

"I said who I was and what Mermaids did and he said that’s amazing," she added.

Susie, who lives in Yeadon, is the CEO of the charity which opened its headquarters last year.

She said: "Kate, Will and Harry have made their commitment to mental health very clear, and although gender dysphoria is not a mental illness, unfortunately, due to massive prejudice and ignorance, discrimination is still rife and young people and their families are suffering because of this."

She added: "Our detractors try to play down the suicide attempt stats, the bullying and the self-harm, why?

"But for Mermaids, and for me as CEO, this is recognition of the fact that we are making an impact, and as the voice for so many families and young people unable to speak out for fear of repercussions against themselves and their children, we are thankful that gender variant and transgender children are being recognised, and our work on their behalf valued."

The royals had invited 350 guests from the mental health sector to last week's event - including many of those who appeared in videos promoting William, Kate and Harry’s Heads Together campaign, which has been encouraging people to talk about their psychological problems or be a sympathetic ear for those in need.

Mermaids opened its first national headquarters in Yeadon after a 400 per cent increase in calls for help.

The charity supports children and young people with gender identity issues and is run by Susie Green, whose daughter underwent transgender surgery as a teenager.

Calls to the charity had risen from 199 per year to 1,134 over the previous three years, while e-mails had increased from 296 in a year to 1,800.