Save Our Soldiers

PRINCE Harry and Meghan have promised a grieving mum they will do more to help stricken war veterans.

The royal couple gave an assurance to Viv Johnston, whose special forces hero son Danny, 35, killed himself last year after losing his battle with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Viv, 62, was overwhelmed when the royal couple invited her to meet them before the new military- related Endeavour Awards in London last week. Harry, 34, himself an Afghan war veteran, had previously written to the mum of three when tormented Danny was found hanged in woodland last May.

Viv said: “Me and my family were invited to the awards ceremony and we were told that Harry and Meghan would like to meet us.

“I was amazed, a bit nervous but very excited. We were shown to a private room and Harry and Meghan came in. They were absolutely wonderful.

“We chatted about the problems of PTSD and Harry said that he would like the D dropped from PTSD.

“He doesn’t think i t should be referred to as a disorder because that description lays the blame on to the sufferer.

Suffering

“He was very knowledgeable about PTSD, it is a subject he obviously understands well.

“Meghan was very nice to me and wanted to know how I had been coping. I said to Harry that much more needs to be done to help veterans and service personnel suffering from PTSD and other mental health problems – and he nodded.

“They were both very interested in seeing how veterans and serving personnel with mental health issues can be helped.

“Harry was also very sympathetic to what is currently going on with veterans and the problems of suicide.”

And she was delighted at the royal meeting when the duke and duchess asked about All Call Signs, a veterans’ mental support charity set up after her son’s death.

She said: “They were both so genuine and were really sad to hear about what happened to Dan but they were also really interested in the All Call Signs organisation. Harry wanted to know why and how it was set up and how the organisation worked.

“I explained that it was an earlywarning system to get vulnerable veterans or service personnel who go missing to be found quickly and he said he thought it was a great idea.”

“I then asked if he would like an All Call Signs