Prince Harry Shares Heartfelt Conversation With His Children Before Charity Event
Prince Harry has described how a gloomy Monday morning turned into a meaningful conversation with his children Archie and Lilibet about seriously ill children. Fatherhood, he said, has also changed his own perspective on charity work.
The Duke of Sussex told HELLO! magazine how his children Archie and Lilibet's low mood on the morning of September 21, before heading to school, turned into an important conversation. Harry recalled feeling similarly gloomy as a child on Sunday evenings before returning to boarding school, so seeing his children's mood at breakfast, he decided to tell them exactly what he would be doing that evening.
Harry told the children about families he would meet later that day at the WellChild Awards ceremony, an event honoring seriously ill children and those who care for them. According to the prince, the conversation quickly captured Archie and Lilibet's attention, and they asked all kinds of questions.
Helping children understand others' experiences
Harry emphasized that he and Meghan try to help their children better understand other people's life experiences, drawing on both his and Meghan's own backgrounds. He said building this kind of understanding is extremely important.
Harry has been a patron of WellChild since 2007 and has attended 15 of the organization's annual ceremonies. He acknowledged that becoming a parent has changed how he views meeting seriously ill children and their families — he now feels far more clearly how grateful he can be that his own children are healthy. The prince added that the strength and inspiration he draws from WellChild families, both the children and their parents, sustains him for the year ahead.
Harry, Meghan and their children arrived in England on August 26 so that Archie and Lilibet could start at a new school. After just two days of classes, however, the children were moved to a different school — a representative for the couple said at the time that the decision followed discussions with the family's security team about practical considerations.
