Duke of Sussex pays tribute to youngsters recognised by charity WellChild

The Duke of Sussex has paid tribute to the seriously ill children and young people recognised by the charity WellChild as a “beacon of hope and inspiration”.

Harry ended a night of celebration by telling the awards winners to “keep fighting. Keep smiling” as the charity honoured their efforts to succeed and thrive despite life-threatening conditions.

Ahead of the awards, celebrating their 20th anniversary, the duke met the recipients in the central London hotel hosting the event and spoke about the “challenging” relationship between siblings.

The Duke of Sussex speaks at the annual WellChild Awards 2025 (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

The duke, who is WellChild’s patron, told the winners during the presentation ceremony “this is your moment”.

He added: “While we reflect on 20 years of these awards, the truth is that you are the story. You are the reason we gather here.

“Each of you is a beacon of hope and inspiration, not just to those in this room, but to the nation.

“Keep fighting. Keep smiling. And above all, keep showing us what strength, courage and joy really look like.”

Harry is making a rare trip to the UK to carry out a string of charity and other engagements, and began his visit by earlier commemorating the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, by laying flowers at her resting place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

While he was remembering the late Queen, his estranged brother the Prince of Wales was in the same county less than eight miles away, paying tribute to their grandmother at Women’s Institute gathering in Sunningdale, an organisation with a close association with Elizabeth.

The Duke of Sussex shakes hands with with Declan Bitmead (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

During the reception with the winners ahead of the presentations, Harry joked and laughed with the seriously ill youngsters and chatted to Declan Bitmead, 17 – winner of the inspirational young person 15-18 years award – and was told he had a younger when the royal asked about siblings.

“Does he drive you mad?” asked the duke, and Declan replied “no, we get on fine” – and Harry quipped with a smile “you know what – siblings”.

When told the 17-year-old, from Oxted in Surrey, and his brother went to the same school, the duke said “you’re at the same school, that sometimes makes it more challenging”.

Declan suffered permanent sight impairment and lost 96% of his skin after developing a rare and life-threatening reaction to a common tonsillitis treatment.

Harry joked with the teenager and made him smile, after being told by the schoolboy he did not have much sight, by saying he was lucky not to see him as: “I’m bald and ginger and worst of all I’ve got a ginger beard – you’re thinking phew.”

Harry also enjoyed a balloon sword fight with nine-year-old Gwen Foster after the Inspirational Child aged 7-11 winner, born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, challenged him to a duel with the toys made by a balloon sculptor.

The Duke of Sussex play fights using swords made from modelling balloons (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Aaron Chown

The little girl, from Horley, presented him with tiny football shirts of her favourite teams for his children, Wigan Athletic for Lillibet, aged four, and six-year-old Archie was gifted a Brighton and Hove Albion top.

When he chatted to Grace Tutt, 13, from Sevenoaks – who is wheelchair-bound after a bus crash, the Special Recognition winner turned the tables after his flurry of questions and asked the duke for Netflix recommendations.

Harry said he and wife Meghan, who live in California after stepping down as working royals, watch political thriller Hostage together and he also enjoys the reality TV show Love Is Blind.

In an interview with a past WellChild winner who is hoping to break into television, Harry marked the 20th anniversary of the awards by saying: “I have always said for many years that I still have a child inside of me, and I think all of us do, and being amongst these kids brings that out of me.

“I think out of all of the qualities that these kids have, without question, their resilience – top still.”