Prince Harry broke down as he paid tribute to “inspirational” children at an event last night, citing how his own journey into fatherhood meant learning about those with serious illnesses “pulls at my heartstrings”.
Speaking at the WellChild awards in London, he was overcome with emotion as he spoke about his wife Meghan’s pregnancy.
“Last year when my wife and I attended we knew we were expecting our first child,” he said. “No one else did at the time, but we did.
“I remember squeezing Meghan’s hand so tight during the awards, both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day, and more so, what it would be like to do everything we could to protect and help our child should they be born with immediate challenges or become unwell over time.”
Harry continued: “And now, as parents, being here and speaking to all of you pulls at my heart strings in a way I could have never understood until I had a child of my own.”
His comments came as the Duchess confirmed Archie had spent his first day at playgroup in Windsor on Tuesday – and that he takes after his flame-haired father.
During the event, Harry and Meghan were chatting to Milly Sutherland, 11, and her mother Angela from Liverpool. The 50-year-old said: “She took him to one of these baby classes today and she said they had loads of fun together. She said it was really good fun.”
The mum and daughter asked the couple whether Archie has red hair. Milly’s mother said: “Meghan said he has and Harry said he definitely is, you can see it in his eyebrows.”