Prince Harry back in the UK and attends charity awards

Prince Harry has been meeting children with serious health problems at the WellChild charity awards in London – as the prince returns to the UK for a week of engagements.

The prince arrived from the US on Monday morning – and went to Windsor to lay a wreath and pay his respects at the chapel where the late Queen Elizabeth II is buried, on the third anniversary of her death.

At the awards Prince Harry chatted with children, including a play swordfight with balloons. In one conversation he revealed he had been enjoying the Netflix series Hostage.

Harry is patron of WellChild which highlights the resilience of children with complex medical needs, with the awards now in their 20th year.

There has been speculation about whether Prince Harry will meet his father during his UK visit, with the two not having met face to face since February 2024, soon after King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.

Prince Harry’s wife Meghan and their children have remained at their home in California.

On Tuesday, Prince Harry will be in Nottingham where he is expected to announce a significant donation to a Children in Need project and on Wednesday he will be at Imperial College London, to visit the Centre for Blast Injury Studies.

The start of the visit has been on the day on which the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II has been remembered, three years after Britain’s longest reigning monarch died at the age of 96.

The Prince and Princess of Wales visited a Women’s Institute event in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to meet members of an organisation with a long association with the late Queen.

Over tea and homemade cake, Prince William and Catherine heard about the sense of community and support created by the Women’s Institute, which the late Queen had belonged to for 80 years.

“Three years ago my grandmother passed away, I know she was a big part of the WI and she used to talk about it a lot, so this is a huge honour for me,” said Prince William.

“I can’t quite believe it’s three years already,” he said.

Guests were reminiscing about the late Queen’s interest in racing and he said that she used to follow news about her horses on an iPad.

“I think she would have liked a few more winners,” said Prince William about her love of horse racing.

The prince chatted to guests about the value of meeting people in person rather than using social media. “It’s not the same as face to face with a cup of tea and a cake and having a chat,” he said.

The royal visitors also faced questions about their own children, saying they were at an age when they could “wind up” each other.

Prince William was wearing a dark jacket and tie, at a time of royal mourning for the Duchess of Kent, who died last Thursday.