The Duke of Sussex has always had a natural rapport with kids, and through his royal patronages and philanthropic work, he has long supported a number of children's charities.
In September, HELLO! joined Prince Harry at the WellChild awards in London to celebrate the incredible achievements and resilience of youngsters and their families. The Duke, who has been the charity's patron for 16 years, sat down with each young award winner in turn and spoke with them about their interests and hobbies at the ceremony.
© GettyMatt James, Chief Executive at WellChild, told HELLO!: "Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex has been Patron of WellChild since 2007. The Duke's passion for our work shines through when he meets the children and young people that WellChild supports, and their families.
"Over the last 16 years The Duke has continuously displayed his commitment to WellChild. He has generously given up his time to visit our families in their homes and in hospital, to meet our hardworking WellChild Nurses, and regularly attends the WellChild Awards, in association with GSK.
"He has regularly supported our fundraising efforts and most recently made a generous personal donation to WellChild from the proceeds of his book. We are extremely grateful to have a Patron who is genuinely committed to our vision; giving children with complex medical needs the best chance to thrive - at home."
© GettyHarry has also made sure to continue his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales's legacy as an advocate for young people. He and his brother, Prince William, have long shown their support for the Diana Award, which was set up in 1999.
Dr Tessy Ojo CBE, CEO of The Diana Award, told HELLO!: "The Diana Award is particularly special to The Duke of Sussex. Like his mother Princess Diana, The Duke of Sussex has a profound belief in the transformative power of young people to change the world. The young people we work with see his passion and drive to create a more equitable world and it's truly inspiring."
Having lost his mother at the age of 12 in tragic circumstances, Harry has been open up about his experiences with grief. The father-of-two has a long-standing relationship with Scotty's Little Soldiers, which was set up by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010, following the death of her husband Cpl Lee Scott in Afghanistan the previous year.
Nikki Scott told HELLO!: "The Duke of Sussex is very supportive of Scotty’s Little Soldiers and the support we provide to bereaved British Forces children and young people.
"In 2022, Prince Harry wrote a letter to Scotty’s members at Remembrance to acknowledge that he understands what it’s like to grow up without a parent and that he knows the significance of Remembrance to bereaved military children.
"He also recorded a special video for our members at Christmas where he dressed up as Spider-Man. It put a smile on the faces of our Scotty Members at a time that can be particularly challenging. We're grateful that Prince Harry takes time to show our members he cares about them and remembers the sacrifice their parents made."
