What stiff upper lip?
Prince Harry broke down while giving a speech Tuesday, struggling with his words and becoming choked up as he saluted the courage of children and their parents struggling with complex health needs.
Harry is a patron of U.K. charity WellChild and became emotional as he talked about his fears of one of his own children becoming sick.
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Harry had been on stage for three minutes and had handed out several awards when he became overwhelmed, saying the event “never fails to inspire me, but this year it resonates in a different way because now I’m a father. Last year when my wife and I attended ,we knew that we were expecting our first child. No one else knew, but we did.”
Harry’s voice broke and he appeared close to tears as he stepped back from the lectern. Host Gaby Roslin stepped forward and patted his arm to comfort him.
After a few seconds during which he composed himself, Harry went on, “I remember squeezing Meghan’s hand so tight during the awards and both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day, and more so what it would be like to protect and help our child should they be born with immediate challenges or become unwell over time.
“And now talking to all of you as a parent pulls at my heart strings, in a way I never could have understood, until I had a child of my own. No parent wants to hear that their child will suffer, that they will face extraordinary challenges that will affect them throughout their lives.
“After meeting all the WellChild kids and parents over the years, you have managed to give us a sense of optimism, of hope and of strength that no professional, no bestselling book, or advice could ever give us, so thank you for being you.”
The emotional breakdown comes after reports that Harry and Meghan have given a fresh on-camera interview to their friend, journalist Tom Bradby, in which they will “lay bare the world of pressure and pain behind the brave faces.”
Bradby said the special, to air Sunday night, will follow Meghan and Harry’s recent tour of Africa, which was overshadowed by an extraordinary statement from Harry in which he attacked the press as and alleged a campaign of “relentless propaganda” against his wife.
Harry announced that Meghan was to sue the Mail on Sunday and days later added that he was suing the Sun and the Mirror over allegations of phone hacking.
Bradby said of making the film: “It was a journey but not always the one I was expecting. The story of their time was of passion for their work private happiness but also a world of pressure and pain behind the brave faces.”
