The Duke of Sussex received a warm welcome during his visit to Birmingham on Monday. After unveiling the memorial to the victims of the 2015 Tunisia terrorist attacks at Cannon Hill Park, the royal made sure he spent some time with the relatives of the victims. The expectant father, who recently returned from his tour of Morocco with his wife Meghan, was handed a teddy bear by Suzy Richards, who lost three members of her family - her son Joel, dad Pat and brother Ade.
Prince Harry at Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park on Monday
After the attack, grieving mum Suzy set up a charity in Joel's name - Smile For Joel - which has since raised more than £230,000 to support the family members of murder victims. She and her other son Owen - who survived the horrific attack - gave the bear to Harry as he officially opened a memorial in honour of the 31 British victims who died in the two terror attacks. "After losing three very precious family members in June 2015, during the Tunisian terror attacks our supportive loyal and loving family will never be the same," the charity website reads. "We are shattered, broken and every day is a colossal struggle for not having them here with us. To go from a family of six to three is an unbearable pain and has left an emptiness that we know will never go away.
READ: Why Meghan Markle holds Prince Harry's hand with both arms
Prince Harry received the adorable bear
Suzy Richards gave the bear to Prince Harry
The message continued: "In the midst of this heartache I am determined to stand strong for my remaining family and like any Mom would I want to strive to make Owen's life the best I can, especially after he was the sole survivor in my family on that fateful day." The memorial was remembering those who were killed in both the Bardo Museum in Tunis on 18 March, and a beach resort hotel in Sousse on 26 June. At the engagement in Birmingham, Harry told the audience: "In memory of all those who lost their lives. And to the families whose lives were changed forever by these events. I would like to pay my deepest respects to you and officially dedicate this memorial to your loved ones."
SmileForJoel is a fundraising charity to support and help families of are victims of traumatic bereavement through murder and terrorism. They host regularly fundraising events with many pictures on their Instagram page @smileforjoel. For more information visit https://www.smileforjoel.com/
MORE: Princess Eugenie's poignant visit to Nottingham hospital
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.
