Prince Harry at the WellChild Awards on Sept. 7, 2023.Photo:Tristan Fewings/Getty
Tristan Fewings/Getty
Prince Harryhad his family back in California on his mind as he returned to the U.K. for a special event: theWellChild Awards.
The Duke of Sussex, 38, stepped out at the annual event in London on Thursday. Prince Harry has been a patron of WellChild, a charity that supports seriously ill children and their families, since 2007 and is a regular at their awards ceremonies.Meghan Marklejoined him at the event in2018and2019.
After presenting the award for Inspirational Child (aged 4 to 6) to Violet Seymour, Prince Harry gave a speech to the attendees where he spoke about the “joys and challenges that come with parenting.”
Harry described himself as a “father of two” — referring to sonPrince Archie, 4, and daughterPrincess Lilibet, 2 — “and three dogs, so basically five souls.” In addition to Meghan’s Beaglenamed Guywho she had before meeting Prince Harry, the couple have also welcomed a black Labradornamed Pulaand another Beaglenamed Momma Miainto the family.
Prince Harry attends the WellChild Awards on Sept. 7, 2023.Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty
Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty
Prince Harry continued that he was “acutely aware of the joys and challenges that come with parenting, and that’s with kids who aren’t facing health challenges.”
“To the parent carers in this room, you have my sincerest admiration and respect,” he added. “The level of support and responsibility you share daily is unrivaled and without fail. You deserve all the assistance that you need.”
At the WellChild Awards, Prince Harry also chatted about Meghan, 42. He said his wife was “very upset that she couldn’t be here,“Hello!magazinereported.
When Prince Harry started to deliver his speech, he joked that he would “try not to get choked up this year.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the 2018 WellChild Awards.VICTORIA JONES/AFP via Getty
At the 2019 event, Prince Harry and Meghan attended for the first time as parents themselves, having welcomed Archie earlier that year. The Duke of Sussex shared that they knew Meghan was pregnant during their visit the previous year (they had yet to publicly share their news), making their visit even more emotional.
“Last year, when my wife and I attended, we knew we were expecting our first child — no one else did at the time, but we did — and I remember…” he said before his voice trailed off as tears welled up in his eyes.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in December 2022.Mike Coppola/Getty
Mike Coppola/Getty
“I remember squeezing Meghan’s hand so tight during the awards, both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day,” he continued. “And more so, what it would be like to do everything we could to protect and help our child should they be born with immediate challenges or become unwell over time.”
“And now, as parents, being here and speaking to all of you pulls at my heartstrings in a way I could have never understood until I had a child of my own,” Prince Harry added.
source: people.com
