15 October 2023 , 06:59
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Prince Harry showed his sensitive side as he recalled Meghan Markle's first pregnancy during his annual charity event.
The Duke of Sussex always attends the Well Child Awards, which highlights the strength of seriously ill children and their families. And despite each year surprising him, there was one ceremony in particular which struck a different feeling.
During the event in 2019, he got emotional and said it felt different because it was his first time attending since being a dad. Meghan gave birth to their first child Archie, now 4, in Portland Hospital in London on May 6 that year.
Archie was born in Portland Hospital in London in 2019 (Getty Images)In a speech at the ceremony, the duke said: "It has been over a decade since I first came to these Awards and every year they never fail to surprise and inspire me. Yet this year, it resonates differently, because now I’m a father. Last year when my wife and I attended we knew we were expecting our first child - no one else did at the time, but we did - and I remember…"
His eyes began to well up as host Gaby Roslin put her arm around him and held his hand briefly behind his back. Harry went on to apologise and said being a parent at the event "pulls at my heartstrings." He continued: “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. And now, as parents, being here and speaking to all of you pulls at my heartstrings in a way I could have never understood until I had a child of my own.”
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Meghan and Harry arriving at the WellChild Awards after Archie was born (Getty Images)
Meghan and Harry revealed their newborn at St George's Hall in Windsor Castle (Getty Images)Prince Harry was unable to attend the event last year, due to the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth on September 8. He returned to the UK for the first time in three months to attend the ceremony for WellChild this year and referenced the late monarch. He said: “She would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And that's precisely why I know, exactly one year on, that she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we're together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community."