Prince Harry made a rare comment about family dynamics during a heartfelt visit with the young winners of the 20th WellChild Awards. The Duke of Sussex, who has been a patron of the charity for over a decade, spent time with the brave children and their families ahead of the ceremony, where he opened up about his own life and shared plenty of laughs. During one conversation with 17-year-old Declan Bitmead, who was being honoured with the Inspirational Young Person 15-18 award, Harry brought a smile to the teen's face with his trademark sense of humour.
"How much sight do you have?" the Duke playfully asked Declan, who has seriously impaired vision. Told not much, Harry made Declan laugh, telling him: "I'm bald, I'm ginger and worst of all I've got a ginger beard. You're thinking 'Phew'." The Duke also enquired about Declan's family, and when the teenager mentioned he had a younger brother, Harry playfully asked if he "drove you mad?"
After Declan confirmed that they got on well, Harry responded with a knowing laugh, "You know what, siblings." When told that the brothers attended the same school, Harry added: "That sometimes makes it more challenging."
Prince Harry on parenting
On the night, Prince Harry, 40, also opened up about parenthood, admitting "everything changes" as he spoke exclusively to HELLO!. The Duke, who is father to Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, flew in from California for the annual charity awards, of which he has been patron for the last 17 years.
"I think once you become a parent yourself, everything changes," Harry told HELLO!. "It's emotional enough not being a parent and seeing what these families go through, but then when you have your own kids or when you're expecting your own kids, that's when it really hits you." Recalling the moving moment when he welled up at the 2018 Awards, when he and his wife, Meghan, were expecting their firstborn, Archie, he adds: "And I remember one of these years, I choked up on stage, and that was exactly it. I am so grateful to have healthy kids."
© Getty Images
© Getty ImagesPrince Harry's visit to the UK
Harry made the trip to the UK at the start of the week to carry out a string of charity and other engagements. He began his visit by earlier commemorating the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, by laying flowers at her resting place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. While he was remembering the late Queen, his estranged brother the Prince of Wales was in the same county, less than eight miles away, paying tribute to their grandmother at the Women's Institute gathering in Sunningdale, an organisation with a close association with Elizabeth.
