A BARBER has been spreading awareness of mental health while relaxing with royalty.

Ken Hermes, 28, from Halstead, had the chance to chat with Prince William about the charity Lions Barber Collective.

The Duke of Cambridge attended an event at Pall Mall Barbers in London where he had the chance to get to know Ken, the other ambassadors and charity founder Tom Chapman.

Ken said he was nervous before meeting the prince but said he soon felt relaxed and at ease.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

“I was forgetting how to hold my scissors but he had the most warm aura, he’s so down to earth and humble.

“I initially addressed him as ‘Your Royal Highness’ and he was quick to say ‘No, call me William’ and just broke down all barriers.

“He was warm and laughing about his hair and how he won’t need a barber. He just sat down on the chair and put his legs up on the footrest.”

Ken initially wanted to get involved with Lions Barber Collective after losing his dad, Kenneth, to suicide in 2006 when he was 15.

He said: “It was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through.

“At first I did nothing but talk about it, but then I just thought people got bored of hearing it.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

“It developed inside me and I saw the lines come together and an opportunity. I thought if I can save one life then my dad did not die in vain.”

Ken said he found it easy to talk to Prince William. He said: “He was instantly drawn in and asked lots of questions. I could tell he was interested.

“He asked for our advice on how to approach these sorts of questions with people he meets. He was compassionate about losing a parent at a young age.”

Ken was involved in a project for Suicide Awareness before training as a barber.

He said: “Men speak about all sorts of things in the barbers - affairs, gambling, debt but they don’t always say how they are feeling and it’s hard to spot that.”

“The bottom line is we’re not trying to be counsellors, we’re just putting hair on the floor. We’re not trying to save the world. It’s just being a good human.”