Prince Harry opened up about how he cheered up his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, as they embark on a new school year following the family’s U.K. move.
“At breakfast this morning, they had a bit of Monday morning blues,” Harry, 42, told Hello! before the 2026 WellChild Awards at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on Monday, September 21. “There’s always something like Sunday night blues or boarding school… when you’ve been away, or before you go to school.”
The Duke of Sussex added that he managed to cheer up his kids by sharing that he would be attending the WellChild Awards — a charity ceremony held annually to honor those who provide support and care for seriously ill children in the U.K. as well as the kids themselves.
“At breakfast this morning, I decided, ‘You know what? You’re being a little bit tricky, so I’m going to tell you exactly what I’m doing tonight,’” he revealed. “And they were genuinely fascinated and asking all sorts of questions. So, like with all of my work and their mum’s work as well, whatever we can do to try to instill some of that awareness, I think is absolutely crucial.”
Harry — who has been a patron of WellChild since 2007 — added that his dedication to the charity has only increased since he became a dad. (Harry and wife Meghan Markle welcomed Archie in May 2019 and his sister Lilibet arrived in June 2021.)
“Once you become a parent, it does change everything. It’s not the fact that for all the years that I wasn’t a parent that meeting the kids didn’t matter as much, but you suddenly realise how grateful you are to have kids that aren’t sick,” he said.
The prince went on to say, “And again, day in, day out, coming off the back of kids being out [of school] for 11 weeks… but you find yourself going, ‘Wow, in that room with those parents, you really can’t complain about anything.’ Of course, it’s all relative, but the inspiration that I get from these guys — not just the kids, but the parents themselves — it fills me up for a whole year.”
Harry attended the WellChild Awards solo on Monday — just as he did for his first U.K. appearance since moving home at the Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner and Awards in London on September 7. (Meghan, 45, has shared glimpses of her new life in the U.K. via social media but has yet to make any public appearances in an official capacity.)
The royal couple arrived in the U.K. late last month in time for their kids to start at a new school — but they soon announced they were switching where Archie and Lilibet will be educated.
“The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements,” a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Hello! on September 14. “The parents remain extremely grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love, care and effort they have shown their family. This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.”
The Sussexes previously lived on the West Coast in the U.S. for six years after stepping down from their senior royal duties in 2020.
