Prince Harry fights back tears at WellChild awards as he hails nurses caring for children
The Duke of Sussex became emotional as he paid tribute to families and nurses at the annual ceremony
The Duke of Sussex fought back tears as he hailed the "mums and dads" caring for seriously ill youngsters at the WellChild awards last night.
Harry welled up as he publicly acknowledged their efforts during a speech at the end of the ceremony, which recognises and rewards children living life to the full despite complex medical needs.
In a broadcast exclusive with our sister station Magic Radio, the duke paid tribute to the charity's specialist nurses.
He said: "I've never met a WellChild nurse who isn't 100,000% committed to not just the child but the entire family unit.
"It's the thing that makes me most proud about WellChild.
"And I always think, wow, again, the emotional support that they need in order to be able to do their job knowing full well that some of these children they're looking after are not going to survive the year.
"That's heavy. That's really heavy.
"But again, the commitment, the determination and the passion that they put into their work is the kind of stuff that we need to be celebrating."
During his speech to recipients, their families and some of the WellChild nurses, Harry became emotional after saying: "To all the mums and dads - most of us will never truly know the emotional ups and downs of your day."
He had broken down during his 2019 WellChild speech when host Gaby Roslin was on hand to support him, and six years later she came to the duke's side after he said "It's happening again" then joked as she held his arm "that doesn't help, that makes it worse".
The duke finished his tribute to parents: "But I sincerely hope that you take strength from nights like this.
"And while we may not know the detail of your day, in this room and beyond, we recognise the commitment of your care and all that comes with it."
'That's what real support looks like'
Harry also spoke to Magic Radio about the pressure on parents and urged communities to rally around families caring for sick children.
He said: "These parents really need a day off, they really need a night off and to just go on a date and therefore find your neighbour or your neighbour's neighbour, someone that you can train up.
"That's what it's all about, community and just know your neighbour, know the people down the road so that you can, you know, you're offering support but that's what real support looks like, is getting in there, learning how to look after their kid and being confident enough that, you know, you can just knock on the door, they can ring you and say, we just need a few hours off. It's like, I'm there."
A patron since 2007
Harry has been patron of WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children and their families, since 2007 and regularly attends the awards ceremony.
He told guests: "These awards are always a very special evening because they give us the opportunity to recognise and celebrate an extraordinary group of children and young people living with complex medical needs, as well as the incredible families who give it everything they've got every single day.
"Tonight is also about recognising the remarkable people who go above and beyond to help those children, young people and families live full and meaningful lives. And that really is at the heart of what WellChild is all about."
He said they were also celebrating the 20th anniversary of WellChild's specialist nursing programme, which supports families by teaching parents how to care for their children at home, and asked nurses in the room to stand up to receive an ovation.
Gifts and a Funko Pop doll
The duke enjoyed himself meeting award winners before the presentation, signing a Funko Pop Prince Harry doll and being showered with gifts.
Before the ceremony, Will Messer, the 10-year-old winner of the Inspirational Child award, asked the duke to sign the doll and presented him with a silk scarf from his favourite football team, Sunderland.
The schoolboy's father Gary Messer, from County Durham, said: "Harry said it wasn't much of a likeness and said he looked like Stewie from the Family Guy cartoon."
Harry also chatted to Margot Jones-Billington, a six-year-old who was left with a brain injury after suffering a bleed on the brain at 10 months old, and told her about his son Archie and daughter Lilibet.
He said: "You obviously love sparkles. I have a boy and a girl who are seven and five. My little girl loves sparkles and she loves pink. That's her favourite colour."