The Duke of Sussex has spoken about “challenging” relationships between siblings when he met WellChild award winners to celebrate their achievements.
Harry joked and laughed with seriously ill youngsters ahead of a glittering awards ceremony recognising their efforts to succeed and thrive despite life-threatening conditions.
When he chatted to Declan Bitmead, 17 – winner of the inspirational young person 15-18 years award, he quizzed him about family life, asking if he had siblings and the teenager replied he had a younger brother.
“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”.
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.
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.”
