Prince Harry asked everyone to leave the room so he could speak in private with a teenager who became emotional talking about losing their parent. Harry was visiting the Empire Fighting Chance charity in Bristol when he spent ten minutes speaking "candidly" with 15-year-old Iestyn Jones, telling him: "The same thing happened to me." Iestyn later explained: "It just got a bit emotional because he mentioned something. He knew some stuff about me and the same thing happened to me. We had a chat for about ten minutes. When we had a group picture at the end he made sure I was standing next to him. They were lovely people. I didn't expect them to be like that. They were amazing people."
Martin Bisp, co-founder of the charity, also revealed: "There was a moment where him and a young person shared an experience. They sat down and asked us to leave the room and talked candidly."
© Photo: Getty ImagesHarry and Meghan visited the Empire Fighting Chance charity in Bristol
Harry, who lost his mother Princess Diana in 1997, was joined by his wife Meghan on the day trip to Bristol. The couple's last engagement of the day took them to the youth charity, which combines non-contact boxing with education, mentoring and therapy. The organisation supports children aged eight to 21 who are failing at school and in danger of drifting into a life of unemployment or even crime, and helps them turn their lives around.
During the visit, Harry and Meghan met some of the young people who go to the boxing club. "Why do you like punching the bag so much? Calms you down? What would you be doing if you were not here or at school?" Harry asked. The boys said they would be playing video games, such as Fortnite. "Why would you want to play Fortnite when you can come here?" the Prince asked.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal spoke to one teenager (not pictured) in private
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The royals were given a tour by Mr Bisp and fellow co-founder Jamie Sanigar. "You have got to think outside the box because there is a lack of services and the services that do exist are not suitable," said Harry. "One of the things that everyone knows that works is sport, and especially boxing. In the last ten years, the popularity of boxing has gone through the roof but more and more these facilities have been shut down."
Harry and Meghan take part in a walkabout:
The Duke told Mr Bisp and Mr Sanigar that many people were did not want to "sit in a chair" and talk about their mental health but would participate in sport. "You don't even realise you are being cured but you are. You guys understand this," Harry said.
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