The ‘real’ Prince Harry could be back at last after he ‘showed his best side’ during trips to London and Africa in recent days, royal experts told MailOnline today.
The Duke of Sussex was at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Monday to pay tribute to children and teenagers recognised at the WellChild Awards who act as carers, fundraisers or just carry on with life as they cope with debilitating conditions.Harry laughed as he was upstaged by a seriously ill boy who wanted to feel his beard, and hailed the group of ‘little legends’ for ‘uplifting all those around you’.
The Duke has supported WellChild as patron for more than 15 years, retaining the role despite quitting as a working royal in 2020 – and royal commentators told how they were delighted to see him appearing upbeat and relaxed for this week’s event.
They said this was particularly welcome given Harry’s many barbs at the rest of the Royal Family, such as in his tell-all Netflix documentary and autobiography Spare.
The Duke has since headed on a week-long visit to Lesotho and South Africa for his charity Sentebale, which experts said also showed him trying to change his profile.
Richard Fitzwilliams said that Harry had reminded the public in recent days of the various charities he is involved with, in a series of solo trips without Meghan.
In the last week and a half Harry has been reminding us of the various charities he is involved with, both in New York for several events and in London with WellChild, which helps seriously ill children and their families. He has been without Meghan.
The speech he gave at the WellChild Awards was from the heart and he interacted wonderfully well with the children and their parents. It brings back memories of the Prince who once had so special a part in our national life.
There has, so far anyway, been an absence of the fateful television interviews which have led to so much mistrust. Harry’s appearance on Good Morning America after he saw his father when he flew over after King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, was unwise.
He didn’t reveal what they talked about but did say that illness could bring families together. However the Royal Family can never be sure what the Sussexes would reveal to the media.
At the Wellchild Awards, he seemed so natural. He has, after all, been attached to this wonderful charity for over 15 years. Like the Invictus Games and Sentebale, named after Princess Diana’s favourite flower, meaning forget-me-not in SeSotho, it was part of the unique way he developed his charitable activities before he married. No one could appear more natural or more caring, there were echoes here of his mother.
His solo trip to South Africa and Lesotho will also bring back memories. It was in South Africa that Harry and Meghan revealed in an ITV interview how unhappy they were as senior working royals which led to the current bitter rift. His love of Africa stretches back to his gap year in 2004 when he was in Lesotho for two months. His trip there, also solo, seems certain to be successful.
This raises the issue of security. If he wins his case in the Court of Appeal and has automatic security, he is likely to be a more frequent visitor to Britain. If he loses it, surely a gesture that allows him and his family to be in the ‘other VIP’ category would be wise. There is a threat from right-wing extremists and we know how tormented he has been following his mother’s tragic death.
On the debit side, his memoir Spare, is soon released in paperback. It will probably sell well but was very ill-advised, leading to the Sussexes’ eviction from Frogmore. If he does not appear much in his docuseries on polo for Netflix as is reported, few are likely to watch. The Sussexes might not get their $100million contract renewed next year which would be disastrous. Perhaps they will need the image and the charm of the Harry we used to know all the more. We all could do with more of it.
He told MailOnline: ‘The speech he gave at the WellChild Awards was from the heart and he interacted wonderfully well with the children and their parents. It brings back memories of the Prince who once had so special a part in our national life.
‘At the Wellchild Awards, he seemed so natural. He has, after all, been attached to this wonderful charity for over 15 years.
‘Like the Invictus Games and Sentebale, named after Princess Diana’s favourite flower, meaning forget-me-not in SeSotho, it was part of the unique way he developed his charitable activities before he married. No one could appear more natural or more caring – there were echoes here of his mother.’
Mr Fitzwilliams pointed out that there has so far ‘been an absence of the fateful television interviews which have led to so much mistrust’, adding: ‘The Royal Family can never be sure what the Sussexes would reveal to the media.’
He continued: ‘His solo trip to South Africa and Lesotho will also bring back memories. It was in South Africa that Harry and Meghan revealed in an ITV interview how unhappy they were as senior working royals which led to the current bitter rift.
‘His love of Africa stretches back to his gap year in 2004 when he was in Lesotho for two months. His trip there, also solo, seems certain to be successful.’
Harry lost a High Court challenge against the Home Office in February over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK, but he has been given the green light to appeal.
And Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘If he wins his case in the Court of Appeal and has automatic security, he is likely to be a more frequent visitor to Britain. If he loses it, surely a gesture that allows him and his family to be in the ‘other VIP’ category would be wise.
‘There is a threat from right-wing extremists and we know how tormented he has been following his mother’s tragic death.’
He continued: ‘On the debit side, his memoir Spare, is soon released in paperback. It will probably sell well but was very ill-advised, leading to the Sussexes’ eviction from Frogmore.
‘If he does not appear much in his docuseries on polo for Netflix as is reported, few are likely to watch. The Sussexes might not get their $100million contract renewed next year which would be disastrous.
‘Perhaps they will need the image and the charm of the Harry we used to know all the more. We all could do with more of it.’
Meanwhile royal author Phil Dampier said Harry ‘showed his best side’ in London, but it was ‘too early to say he has turned over a new leaf’.
He told MailOnline: ‘If Harry does more WellChild style events and less whinging, I’m all in favour of it. He showed his best side the other day in London and now he’s carrying on good work in Lesotho and South Africa with his Sentebale project.
‘But I think it’s too early to say he has turned over a new leaf. He has new PR people and I’m sure they’ve told him he has to stop moaning and slagging off the royal family as people are sick of that, not just in the UK but also in the US and all over the world.’
Mr Dampier continued: ‘Now it seems he is striking out on his own and doing things without her (Meghan) and maybe that’s the way forward.
She can concentrate on her American Riviera Orchard products and make money for the family, and he should go back to helping good causes.’
He added: ‘So If the old Harry comes back that’s a good thing. But it’s going to take a lot more than a just a couple of weeks of headline-catching jobs to win back the trust of his family and the affection of the public.’
Mr Dampier – author of the 2018 book ‘Royally Suited: Harry And Meghan In Their Own Words’ – encouraged Harry to drop his High Court challenge against the Home Office.
He also urged Harry and Meghan to visit her estranged father Thomas Markle ‘before it’s too late’, adding: ‘And then, after several months of silence about the royals, there might be a chance of a reconciliation with the King.’
But, speaking about his brother, Mr Dampier said: ‘As for William, forget it. I don’t think he will ever forgive his brother.
Having said all this, Harry still can’t be half in and half out of the Royal Family, so he is going to have to pick and choose his causes. He certainly won’t get any royal patronages or military titles back.’
Hilary Rose, author of new royal parody The Secret Diary of Queen Camilla, told The Times: ‘This week, out of the blue, we might have glimpsed the future, instead of raking up the past. Why? Because Harry undertook a solo, largely unheralded, blink-and-you’ll miss-it trip to London.
‘For the first time in years he went to an awards ceremony to present an award, not to receive one. For the first time in years he arrived looking cheerful, not cross, gave a speech paying tribute to others, not himself, and brought joy to the people he met.
‘In short, he did the royal job he was trained to do from birth and he did it brilliantly. Look, I may be getting carried away here. This may be a false dawn. But it might be time to cautiously say welcome back, Harry. We missed you.’
Harry’s brief trip to the UK came as relations with his brother Prince William remained strained.
Despite travelling thousands of miles from his home in California, it is unlikely the Duke visited William or his father King Charles III, who is receiving treatment for cancer.
In past years Harry has been joined by wife Meghan at the awards, but he travelled alone to London from their home in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, where the couple established a new life for themselves and their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
There was no indication that Harry had asked to stay in a royal residence during his trip to the UK.
Despite Meghan and the children not being there, Harry appeared to be enjoying himself on Monday – and before the ceremony began was upstaged by a boisterous seven-year-old, Noah Nicholson.
The boy threw his toys on the floor and delighted in Harry picking them up. He also tried to have a feel of Harry’s beard.
While Harry met Noah, who has cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease and other serious health issues, he chatted to the youngster and his mother, Tracey Nicholson, 42, from Grimsby.
The seven-year-old brought his prized comfort toys – George the cat and Ratty the Giraffe in the shape of a blanket – and delighted in throwing them on to the floor.
When Ms Nicholson said sorry for her son’s antics, Harry replied: ‘Don’t apologise, I love it.’
Noah’s mother said afterwards: ‘He’s in constant pain but is always happy and smiley. He’s just a very excitable boy and when he’s around people he just loves it.
‘Nothing ever gets him down, he never cries unless the pain gets the better of him. He’s seriously ill fighting for his life so much, but he’s so happy.’
The Duke was clearly happy to be meeting the youngsters and celebrities – including former Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse and singer Beverley Knight.
Harry told the young people and their families: ‘Thank you for your courage, your perseverance, your kindness and of course your humour. And thank you for being you and uplifting all those around you. The WellChild Awards is an event that never fails to inspire me.
‘The stories of young people who battle against the odds, living lives filled with medical procedures, hospital stays and endless appointments, remind us all of the strength of the human spirit.
‘For many of us it is a daily life we can hardly imagine, and yet somehow, the young people I meet are always smiling and every room they walk into seemingly lights up with warmth and positivity.’
Harry also spoke about his role as a father in his speech, saying: ‘As a parent, I know a little about the emotional rollercoaster of parenting.
‘But, when I hear about the care many of you mums, dads and family members provide; the level of round-the-clock care you offer; the skills you’ve had to learn; and the battles for support that you fight every single day – I am truly in awe.’
The WellChild Awards also celebrate the inspiring qualities of health, social care and education professionals and among the other famous faces watching the ceremony was Sir Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster.It comes after Harry has carried out a series of public appearances over the past month after he celebrated his 40th birthday on September 15.
He was in New York last week, where he called on governments to work more closely with young people, warning about the online dangers children faced and criticising the leaders of social media companies for not doing more to protect them.
He also appeared in a segment on the NBC flagship late-night talk programme The Tonight Show, where he was shown shouting and swearing as he joined the host Jimmy Fallon walking through a ‘haunted maze’ attraction.
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