Prince Harry shared some tender and funny moments with seriously ill children at an awards ceremony which recognised their resilience. At a star-studded event, the young royal showed how he has inherited his mother the Princess of Wales’s ability to bond with those in need.

Harry – patron of the charity WellChild – was special guest at the organisation’s awards ceremony at Lord’s cricket ground in central London, along with celebrities including Penny Lancaster and Rod Stewart, former England footballer John Barnes and boy band Westlife.

The Prince arrived at the event in a chauffeur-driven limousine and wore a smart dark suit and striped tie. He spent around an hour chatting to the poorly youngsters, their parents and medical staff who look after them.

Youngsters aged from three to 18 were honoured for their efforts battling debilitating and life-threatening illnesses at the ceremony while doctors, nurses and other health professionals were also recognised.

Harry chatted to award-winner Natalie Robinson, 18, from Sheffield, who was a talented dancer and had hopes of becoming a GP before she became seriously ill five years ago with a very rare white blood cell disease that has attacked many of her major organs.

The teenager, asked about meeting the Prince, replied: “He’s much better in the flesh. He was asking about my disease, how it started and what’s wrong with me. The fact I’ve had my 16th, 17th and 18th birthdays in hospital was something he could sympathise with, as he said he’d spent the night in a ditch during his 21st.”

WellChild is a UK-based charity dedicated to the needs of sick children and their families and its children’s nurses provide specialist medical care and direct support in the home to chronically ill youngsters. (via Press Association)

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