Prince Harry was overcome with emotion Tuesday while giving a speech at an event honoring sick children and their caregivers.
The Duke of Sussex attended the WellChild Awards in London with wife Meghan Markle. Prince Harry has been a patron of the event since 2007, but this is the first year he’s attending as a parent. The royal couple welcomed son Archie Harrison in May.
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“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 squeezing Meghan’s hand so tight during the awards…” he said before having to pause to collect himself.
Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the WellChild Awards Ceremony in London.
(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
“… Both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day 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,” the prince continued.
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“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,” he added.
WellChild is a charity that supports children who are battling serious illnesses and their families who care for them.
Tuesday night’s winners included a 16-year-old boy who cares for his younger brother, a 12-year-old girl with cerebral palsy and a 6-year-old boy who was diagnosed with leukemia last year.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor
(Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
“These awards were created to shine a bright light on an amazingly brave group of children and young people. Life for families caring for seriously ill children is exceptionally tough. And without WellChild it is even tougher,” Prince Harry states on the charity’s website.
The couple just wrapped up their royal tour of South Africa, where Archie made his debut.
While spending time with one of the award recipients before the ceremony, Harry and Meghan reportedly confirmed the 5-month-old’s hair is coming in and it’s red like his father.
