Prince Harry made a brief, cryptic remark about the ‘‘challenging’’ nature of sibling relationships while meeting award winners at the WellChild Awards in London on Monday, an appearance that came amid a rare four-day visit to Britain and renewed attention on his estrangement from the Royal Family.
Speaking with 17-year-old Declan Bitmead, who was named Inspirational Young Person (15–18) at the charity’s 20th-anniversary ceremony, the Duke of Sussex asked whether Declan’s younger brother ‘‘drives you mad?’’ When the winner replied that the brothers got on well, Harry smiled and said, ‘‘you know what — siblings,’’ later adding that attending the same school ‘‘sometimes makes it more challenging.’’
Harry, who is WellChild’s patron, spent much of the evening celebrating the children and young people recognised by the charity for coping with serious and life-threatening conditions. He joked with several winners, engaged in a balloon-sword duel with nine-year-old Gwen Foster, and accepted miniature football shirts from the child winners as gifts for his own children. During the awards presentation at the Royal Lancaster Hotel he urged recipients to ‘‘keep fighting. Keep smiling,’’ and described them as ‘‘a beacon of hope and inspiration.’’
The appearance followed a private visit earlier in the day to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Harry laid flowers at the grave of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, to mark the third anniversary of her death. Shortly afterward, his elder brother, the Prince of Wales, visited the National Federation of Women’s Institutes in Sunningdale — a few miles away — and the two did not meet.
Harry arrived at Heathrow on a scheduled commercial flight and was escorted to Windsor by private security, according to accounts of the visit. Scotland Yard said it was aware of his trip and liaising with the duke’s security team. The visit came after the duke lost a UK court challenge earlier this year over the withdrawal of taxpayer-funded round-the-clock security after he stepped back as a working royal. Reports have placed his legal bills in the region of £1 million, and he has said the court defeat felt like an ‘‘establishment stitch-up.’’ The Home Office and the Metropolitan Police have said bespoke protection can be offered on a case-by-case basis if given advance notice.
At the WellChild reception and awards ceremony, Harry spent time individually with winners, many of whom have long-term conditions. Declan Bitmead, from Oxted in Surrey, who was left with permanent sight impairment and extensive skin damage after a rare reaction to a tonsillitis treatment, spoke with the duke before the presentation. Another winner, 13-year-old Grace Tutt, who uses a wheelchair after a bus crash and received a special recognition award, asked Harry for television recommendations; he said he and his wife, Meghan, watch the political thriller Hostage and the reality series Love Is Blind.
Harry has said being among children brings out ‘‘a child inside of me,’’ and he praised their resilience in an interview marking WellChild’s anniversary. He told the room that ‘‘you are the story’’ and urged the winners to continue demonstrating ‘‘strength, courage and joy.’’
The duke’s return to Britain is his longest visit in three years and includes a string of charitable and private engagements. Sources close to him were quoted as saying he wanted to ‘‘focus on the positive, no courtrooms and just do the stuff he loves’’ as part of efforts to reset relationships with both the Royal Family and the British public.
Buckingham Palace declined to confirm whether Harry will meet other senior royals during the visit. The duke remains fifth in line to the throne. Palace officials and royal aides have in recent years described the relationship between Harry and his family as strained after a period of public disputes and personal revelations.
The Princess and Prince of Wales’s engagement at the Women’s Institute, which had close associations with the late Queen, drew warm responses from members. William spoke of family life and recalled his grandmother with affection during the event, and the engagement overran its scheduled time by about 25 minutes.
Journalists and onlookers noted the proximity of the two engagements and that both brothers paid tribute to the late monarch on the same day without interaction. Onlookers said the private visit to the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside Windsor Castle lasted only minutes and that the chapel had been closed briefly to the public to allow Harry’s private visit.
The WellChild awards ceremony honoured children and young people from across the UK, recognising achievements despite serious health challenges. Organisers marked two decades of the awards and highlighted recipients’ stories during the evening ceremony. Harry’s presence drew attention not only for his remarks and interactions with winners but also because it underscored the continuing public focus on relations within the Royal Family during his episodic returns to the UK.