PRINCE HARRY FIGHTS BACK TEARS AT WELLCHILD AWARDS — ‘IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN’ AS GABY ROSLIN STEPS IN

Prince Harry struggled to hold back tears as he paid an emotional tribute to the parents of seriously ill children at the WellChild Awards — before host Gaby Roslin stepped in with a familiar gesture of support.

The Duke of Sussex became visibly emotional while reflecting on the “emotional ups and downs” faced by families caring for children with complex medical needs.

“To all the mums and dads – most of us will never truly know the emotional ups and downs of your day,” Harry said.

As his voice and emotions began to get the better of him, Roslin reached out to comfort him — repeating a moment of support that Harry experienced at the same awards ceremony in 2019.

“It’s happening again,” Harry said, breaking into a laugh.

But when Roslin grabbed his arm, he joked: “That doesn’t help, that makes it worse.”

HARRY’S EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO PARENTS

Harry regained his composure and continued with his tribute, praising parents for the extraordinary commitment involved in caring for seriously ill children.

“But I sincerely hope that you take strength from nights like this,” he told them.

“And while we may not know the detail of your day, in this room and beyond, we recognise the commitment of your care and all that comes with it.”

The Duke, who has been patron of WellChild since 2007, also praised the young people being recognised for living their lives to the full despite their medical conditions.

“These awards are always a very special evening because they give us the opportunity to recognise and celebrate an extraordinary group of children and young people living with complex medical needs, as well as the incredible families who give it everything they’ve got every single day,” he said.

He also highlighted the charity’s work supporting families and marked the 20th anniversary of its specialist nursing programme, asking the nurses present to stand and receive a standing ovation.

‘ONCE YOU BECOME A PARENT, IT DOES CHANGE EVERYTHING’

Harry later opened up to Hello Magazine about how becoming a father had changed his perspective.

“Once you become a parent, it does change everything,” he said.

He explained that meeting seriously ill children had always mattered to him, but becoming a father had brought a new understanding of how grateful he felt to have healthy children of his own.

Harry also revealed that he had explained the evening to Archie and Lilibet before leaving for the awards.

“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 said.

His children, he added, were “genuinely fascinated” and asked him all sorts of questions about the event.

A TENDER MOMENT WITH MARGOT

Earlier in the evening, Harry spent time with several of the award winners, including six-year-old Margot Jones-Billington.

Margot was left with a brain injury after suffering a bleed on the brain when she was 10 months old and later received the Inspirational Child award for children aged four to six.

Dressed in a sparkly outfit and pink shoes, Margot immediately caught Harry’s attention.

“You obviously love sparkles,” he told her.

Harry then opened up about his own children, saying: “I have a boy and a girl who are seven and five. My little girl loves sparkles and she loves pink. That’s her favourite colour.”

Margot later gave Harry a belated birthday card, along with another card from her younger sister Adelaide.

The youngster then hugged the Duke on stage, adding another deeply personal moment to an already emotional evening.

HARRY APPEARS ALONE AMID FRESH ROYAL DRAMA

Harry attended the WellChild Awards alone, with Meghan not appearing at the ceremony.

On his arrival, the Duke was asked by members of the media whether he had been in contact with his uncle amid the latest royal family developments.

He did not respond.

His appearance came as extracts from Earl Spencer’s forthcoming memoir continued to make headlines, including fresh allegations concerning King Charles.

But inside the WellChild ceremony, Harry kept the focus firmly on the children, their families and the people supporting them.

And for a moment, the royal headlines gave way to something much more personal: a father struggling to hold back his emotions as he paid tribute to parents living through some of the most difficult days of their lives.