The Duchess of Edinburgh has said period products shouldn’t be hidden away but left around the home as she encouraged young women to be more open about their menstrual health.

Speaking at a special workshop at a school in London, the Duchess said it was time for tampons and pads to come ”out of the closet”.

And she shared one of her biggest concerns about periods, revealing that she had sometimes experienced flow so heavy that she was worried about standing up.

She also talked to girls about misconceptions around tampons and pads, saying that some people believed that sizes were related to physical shape when in reality they are linked to the heaviness of a period.

Several boys joined the workshop at Harris Girls Academy in East Dulwich with the Duchess of Edinburgh saying ””I think bringing boys into the conversation is very important. I’ve been to many countries around the world and other countries seem to be more progressive.”

The workshop was part of a campaign by Wellbeing of Women which aims to make periods something everyone talks about and is open on.

The Duchess of Edinburgh has spoken out before on menstrual health and has also shared her experiences of the menopause.