If Prince Harry was feeling defeated after his High Court loss earlier this week, he showed no signs of it as he stepped out in Birmingham on Thursday (Friday morning AEST).
The Duke of Sussex was at his royal best as he met with sick children, their families and nurses at Birmingham Children’s Hospital to celebrate the 20th anniversary of WellChild’s specialist nurse program.
Prince Harry – pictured here meeting Wyatt Makwana, 12, who was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and his father Brian Makwana – visited Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Thursday. Getty Images
Harry, a patron for the charity, partly funds the program, which is designed to support children with complex medical needs and their families.
The father-of-two emulated his late mother, Princess Diana, as he hugged and held hands with a variety of patients and nurses during his visit.
The Harry we all know and love was on display – making faces, cracking jokes and looking completely at ease.
The Harry we all know and love was on display – making faces, cracking jokes and looking completely at ease. Getty Images
The father-of-two emulated his late mother, Princess Diana, as he hugged and held hands with a variety of patients – including Alec Hill, 12, and his parents Kelly and Stuart Hill – during his visit. Getty Images
After leaving his role as senior working member of the royal family in 2020, WellChild was one of the very few patronages he was allowed to keep.
In a monochrome look his wife would be proud of, Prince Harry wore navy trousers and a shirt, rolled up at the sleeves in the 33-degree heat.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had been set to join her husband for the visit but the couple cancelled the plans to bring their two young children to the UK at the 11th hour over security concerns.
Harry, a patron for the WellChild charity, part funds the specialist nurse program which is designed to support children with complex medical needs and their families. Getty Images
Prince Harry, knelt down to chat to young patient Alfie Hodges, 7, who was with his mother Mia Drysdale inside Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Getty Images
Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, were set to travel to the UK for the first time in four years, joining their parents for the “one year to go” Invictus Games event in Birmingham on Friday.
However, it’s understood Meghan and the children remained in Europe, where the family had been holidaying before Harry’s solo trip back home.
Reports suggest Prince Harry’s been in talks with King Charles during the visit to work out a safe way to bring his kids over to London to see their grandfather.
A leaked security report suggests the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their kids are particularly vulnerable in London to growing threats being made against them.
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were supposed to join their dad on the visit to the UK but plans were changed due to security concerns. Instagram/@Meghan
While Harry was in Birmingham, Charles was at ZSL London Zoo with Queen Camilla to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Zoological Society of London.
Wearing a suit with sunnies, the monarch appeared to really be feeling the heat at the outdoor event, while his wife carried a parasol to help.
Prince William was also out and about on Thursday, meeting people in Hastings in East Sussex.
King Charles was at ZSL London Zoo with Queen Camilla to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Getty Images
Wearing a suit with sunnies, the monarch appeared to really be feeling the heat at the outdoor event. Getty Images
The Prince of Wales played a little mini-golf and worked crowds before heading to youth club Common Room at Eagle House, which serves as a “public living room” space.
William and Harry, who were about 250 kilometres apart on the day, are not expected to meet while Harry is visiting.
In fact, the pair have duelling events on to round out the week, with the Prince of Wales playing a charity polo match while the Duke of Sussex does his Invictus Games event.
Prince William was also out and about on Thursday, meeting people in Hastings in East Sussex. Getty Images
The Prince of Wales played a little mini-golf and worked crowds before heading to youth club Common Room at Eagle House. Getty Images
Prince William’s apparent rift with his younger brother has reportedly widened over the past few years.
It’s understood he stopped speaking to his brother following the publication of explosive tell-all Spare and did not lean on his brother when dealing with their dad and his wife’s simultaneous cancer battles in 2024.
Harry and his family briefly stayed in Canada before moving to Montecito, California, in 2020.