The Duke of Sussex wrote the foreword to an annual report from WellChild, a charity for seriously ill children, in his role as royal patron. Addressing families struggle during the coronavirus pandemic, Harry hailed WellChild for their work providing PPE and other essential items.
The Duke acknowledged the impact of coronavirus on families across the world, and said children must not be forgotten.
He said: “I am incredibly proud to say that WellChild has moved with urgency and purpose to tackle the new challenges that children with complex needs and their families have faced because of this crisis.
“Life for everyone has been tough. For these families, it has been tougher than most of us can imagine.
“As we continue to battle this health crisis, the existing needs of vulnerable children should not be forgotten.”
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WellChild lost 60 percent of its projected income due to a lack of sponsors and fundraising events.
Despite the hardships, the charity provided more than 289,000 PPE items to British families to make it safe for carers to visit.
Harry hailed the response from WellChild to the restraints put in place by coronavirus, acknowledging it took a “steadfast, coordinated effort across communities and countries to get ourselves to a point where we can fight this virus”.
He also said the charity’s response shows “exactly why WellChild is so close to my heart”.
In December, Harry likened coronavirus to a punishment from “Mother Nature” in an interview with WaterBear.
He said: “Somebody said to me at the beginning of the pandemic, it’s almost as though Mother Nature has sent us to our rooms for bad behaviour, to really take a moment and think about what we’ve done.
“It’s certainly reminded me about how interconnected we all are, not just as people but through nature.
“We take so much from her and we rarely give a lot back.”
It comes as reports emerged that Harry will return to the UK this Summer, but Meghan Markle will miss out due to “personal and practical reasons”.
A royal source told the Daily Mail: “Harry wants to come back for The Queen and Prince Philip’s big birthdays. But it looks likely it will be just him.
“If Meghan comes back, the feeling is that it would overshadow the occasion. People would only be looking at the ‘drama’ of it all.
“Of course she would be welcome, but a decision not to come would postpone that headache for a while at least.”
