Prince Harry meets young winners ahead of 2026 WellChild Awards in London
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex spent just over an hour with the young winners of the 2026 WellChild Awards and their families ahead of the ceremony in London. The meeting took place before the awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in central London on September 21, 2026. HELLO!
WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children and young people, says its Awards celebrate “the inspirational qualities” of those children and the people who support them. Harry is the charity’s patron. The charity confirmed on September 10 that he would attend the September 21 ceremony. WellChild
Harry talked about his own family during the pre-ceremony meet and greet. He said he has a boy aged seven and a girl aged five, referring to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. He added that his daughter loves sparkles and that pink is her favourite colour.
That detail found an audience. Sofia Dobson, who won the Inspirational Young Person 12-14 category, had brought a pair of bracelets for Archie and Lilibet. Harry thanked her and chatted about taking them home.
Will Messer, winner of the Inspirational Child 7-11 category, brought gifts of his own. He gave Harry a Sunderland football scarf and a Berserkers wheelchair rugby pin badge. Harry pinned it straight on. He wore it for the rest of the meeting.
Six-year-old Margot Jones-Billington, winner of the Inspirational Child 4-6 category, was also among the winners meeting Harry. The group spoke about school, hobbies and home.
The appearance came six days after Harry’s birthday. He turned 42 on September 15. Nominations for this year’s Awards opened in February with a nationwide call to find the country’s most courageous children, and have now closed. WellChild
What makes this one land is the swap. The children arrived as winners with stories of hospital wards and long recoveries. They left having handed the prince homework: scarves to wear, bracelets to carry home to a seven-year-old and a five-year-old who loves pink.
