Prince Harry jokes about ‘challenging’ relationships between siblings at charity bash amid feud with William

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HARRY joked about “challenging” relationships between siblings while speaking at his glitzy charity bash.

The Duke joked and laughed with seriously ill children at the WellChild awards.

Harry quizzed Declan Bitmead, 17, winner of inspirational young person 15-28 years award, about his family and the teen replied he had a brother.

Harry asked: “Does he drive you mad?”

When Declan replied “no, we get on fine” Harry replied “you know what – siblings”.

And when told his brother went to same school, Harry said: “You’re at the same school, that sometimes makes it more challenging.”

Harry and William have barely spoken since Megxit.

The Duke has slated his older sibling in his memoir Spare claiming he was knocked to the ground in a fight and dumped on his family in a six-part Netflix series and Oprah Winfrey interview.

During the ceremony, Prince Harry presented the Award for Inspirational Child, aged four to six, to Esmée McGlinchey from Stoke-on-Trent.

The six-year-old continues to smile despite facing daily medical challenges and having already undergone an incredible 35 surgeries.

Harry said in his speech: “For two decades, this event has shone a bright spotlight on the needs of children and young people living with complex medical conditions.

“But more than that, it has celebrated something far bigger – your courage, your resilience, and the extraordinary love of the families and carers who never stop showing up.”

He continued: “I still remember my very first WellChild Awards, eighteen years ago. I walked into the room, and within about three minutes I realised two things: the love and energy in the room was palpable, so too was the unpredictability!

“And second, that I was completely hooked on it all. This night has been a highlight of my year  ever since and it’s all because of you guys – these children, this cause, and our Wellchild community.

“Since those early days, 311 WellChild Award winners have inspired us with their bravery. Today, a 53-strong team of WellChild Nurses are out there making an enormous difference. Add to that a community of more than 3,600 families, plus support programmes reaching even further, and you see the real impact of what has been built here.

“More than ever, WellChild’s mission must be our shared priority. Tonight, I’d ask each of you to think about how you can play your part, whether through support, awareness, or action, to help advance this crucial work”

The Inspirational Young Person Award winner was given to 17-year-old Declan Bitmead, from Surrey, who more than £25,000 for charity.

Meanwhile the Special Recognition Award was presented to 13-year-old Grace Tutt from Kent, who rebuilt her life after a serious road accident.

And, the Nurse Award winner was crowned as Helen Tooby, from West Yorkshire.

Harry’s speech came after he arrived at a glitzy charity bash earlier this evening – just miles away from Princess Kate and Wills.

The Duke jetted in from California this morning for a four-day visit to attend the WellChild Awards in London.

Earlier today, he visited his grandmother’s final resting place in Windsor to mark the third anniversary of her death.

Meanwhile, Prince William and Princess Kate paid their own tribute at a Women’s Institute event in Berkshire, a mere 8 miles away.

Just a few hours later, Harry rushed back to London to attend the WellChild charity bash, and was seen walking the red carpet on the way in.

Hours after paying his respects to the late Queen Harry rushed off to attend the WellChild charity’s annual awards event.

Royal historian and expert Hugo Vickers has weighed in on Harry’s return to the UK, saying the Queen would be devastated the couple’s didn’t meet, despite being so close by.

He called Harry a “distraction” who made the queen “very unhappy in the last couple of years.”

In an exclusive chat with The Sun, Mr Vickers said that the Queen was always disappointed when Harry went away and compared the Duke to a childminder during her last few years.

The Queen would be devastated to see how it has turned out for her grandson following his controversial move to America, he said.

Mr Vickers added: “I suspect she would be quite sad to see Harry now.

“Whereas he had a lot of very important responsibilities beforehand, like what the Queen, Prince William, and the King are now all doing – which is very important.

“He is now involved in usually quite understated public engagements, private engagements as well as organisations and charities.

“As I’ve said on many occasions in the past, the royals are working for us, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

“They are putting things into life, they’re serving. Which is the complete opposite of what Prince Harry’s mostly doing.

“I mean, admittedly, with this charity, fine, he’s supporting it. Let’s hope that that does some good.

“And I would like to see him do more of those sort of things, and less of hanging around in the back of Meghan Markle’s cookery programs.”

Mr Vickers said he was glad that the Duke had privately paid his respects despite the royal rifts that developed in the last years of Queen Elizabeth’s life.

He said: “I’m sure he misses his grandmother, but the sad thing is that he did make her very unhappy in the last couple of years of her life, and he caused her a lot of trouble, and he probably feels rather guilty about that.”

But Mr Vickers believes the Duke has regrets about his previous actions and said the whole situation was “very sad.”

He went on to say however, that the rift was “of Harry’s making” and said the firm probably feels that the once-popular Prince has taken a “cushy escape route” while the rest of the family have soldiered on with their duties.

The royal historian said: “I do feel sorry for him, just on a human level. He obviously got on terribly well with his grandmother.

“There are some very nice clips of them together.

“Most people who chuck in their duty and try and take the path of perceived happiness, they usually regret it, to be quite honest.”

And Mr Vickers added that it was a shame that the firm couldn’t come together to show grief for the passing of the late Queen.

The sombre day saw the royals split, mourning separately with Harry showing up to his grandmothers resting place solo.

Mr Vickers said: “As far as paying respects to a grandmother, I’m very glad that he did it on his own, because I think that’s appropriate.

“It’s a shame that there isn’t a sort of unified, showing of grief, I guess, but that’s not likely to happen.

“I’m glad he went, and I hope he got some comfort out of it.”

However, speculation on whether Harry will meet with any members of his estranged family is running rampant and is a constant distraction, Mr Vickers added.

Mr Vickers said that it was unfortunate that the Duke of Sussex always creates a “distraction” when he visits the UK.

Mr Vickers told The Sun : “Well, he comes over from time to time to do his charities, and that I very much commend, because that’s what he was trained to do, and he’s very good at it.

“I think we have seen him doing a little bit more of that recently than in the year gone by – and in a way, that’s to be encouraged.

“The unfortunate thing is, of course, that every time he appears, he attracts a lot of speculation and publicity. Will he meet his father? Will he meet his brother?

“And so, unfortunately, he is always a distraction, but, let us hope that his visit at least helps the charity that he’s come here to support.”

Mr Vickers believes that the King has left the door open for the Duke of Sussex to return and reconcile with his father and the rest of the firm.

However, if Harry can swallow his pride and apologise, the royal expert mused that he can find his way back to the family.

And this is something Mr Vickers thinks would be “good for everyone.”

The royal historian said: “He should apologise to them. I think it would be very much in his interests to reconcile with his father.

“If he doesn’t, and if anything happens to his father, he’s gonna feel pretty bad about that, and he’s got enough things to feel bad about without having that on top of everything else.

“The King, I’m sure, would see him, if he behaved properly.

“But I think that it would be in everybody’s interest to reconcile, if that’s possible, at least get onto some sort of friendly terms.

“To be honest, it is usually possible if both sides are prepared to compromise.”

Unfortunately though Mr Vickers doesn’t see much chance of that happening the way things are at the moment.

He certainly doesn’t see a warm reconciliation with Prince William any time soon, with the two brother’s bond to badly damaged.

The royal historian believes the Prince of Wales has been left “very upset by the way his brother has behaved.”

He added: “Of course, it’s always much more difficult when you’ve been very close to somebody.

“The two brothers were very, very close. And their mother, I think, would be terribly unhappy, and their grandmother too, frankly.”

Mr Vickers raised concerns over Harry’s trip to pay respects to his late grandmother.

Harry arrived in the UK from his home in California earlier today.

The Duke laid a wreath and flowers as he paid his private respects to his grandmother in St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, this morning.

At the same time, the Prince and Princess of Wales were in Sunningdale, Berkshire, at an event to commemorate the late Queen.

A Range Rover, thought to be carrying the Duke of Sussex, left the Windsor Suite at Heathrow Airport shortly after the Harry’s flight landed.

It remains unclear if Harry will see any of the firm today, his father King Charles, has not seen the Duke for 19 months.

Prince Harry jokes about ‘challenging’ relationships between siblings at charity bash amid feud with William

Watch the royal analysis in our video player

HARRY joked about “challenging” relationships between siblings while speaking at his glitzy charity bash.

The Duke joked and laughed with seriously ill children at the WellChild awards.

Harry quizzed Declan Bitmead, 17, winner of inspirational young person 15-28 years award, about his family and the teen replied he had a brother.

Harry asked: “Does he drive you mad?”

When Declan replied “no, we get on fine” Harry replied “you know what – siblings”.

And when told his brother went to same school, Harry said: “You’re at the same school, that sometimes makes it more challenging.”

Harry and William have barely spoken since Megxit.

The Duke has slated his older sibling in his memoir Spare claiming he was knocked to the ground in a fight and dumped on his family in a six-part Netflix series and Oprah Winfrey interview.

During the ceremony, Prince Harry presented the Award for Inspirational Child, aged four to six, to Esmée McGlinchey from Stoke-on-Trent.

The six-year-old continues to smile despite facing daily medical challenges and having already undergone an incredible 35 surgeries.

Harry said in his speech: “For two decades, this event has shone a bright spotlight on the needs of children and young people living with complex medical conditions.

“But more than that, it has celebrated something far bigger – your courage, your resilience, and the extraordinary love of the families and carers who never stop showing up.”

He continued: “I still remember my very first WellChild Awards, eighteen years ago. I walked into the room, and within about three minutes I realised two things: the love and energy in the room was palpable, so too was the unpredictability!

“And second, that I was completely hooked on it all. This night has been a highlight of my year  ever since and it’s all because of you guys – these children, this cause, and our Wellchild community.

“Since those early days, 311 WellChild Award winners have inspired us with their bravery. Today, a 53-strong team of WellChild Nurses are out there making an enormous difference. Add to that a community of more than 3,600 families, plus support programmes reaching even further, and you see the real impact of what has been built here.

“More than ever, WellChild’s mission must be our shared priority. Tonight, I’d ask each of you to think about how you can play your part, whether through support, awareness, or action, to help advance this crucial work”

The Inspirational Young Person Award winner was given to 17-year-old Declan Bitmead, from Surrey, who more than £25,000 for charity.

Meanwhile the Special Recognition Award was presented to 13-year-old Grace Tutt from Kent, who rebuilt her life after a serious road accident.

And, the Nurse Award winner was crowned as Helen Tooby, from West Yorkshire.

Harry’s speech came after he arrived at a glitzy charity bash earlier this evening – just miles away from Princess Kate and Wills.

The Duke jetted in from California this morning for a four-day visit to attend the WellChild Awards in London.

Earlier today, he visited his grandmother’s final resting place in Windsor to mark the third anniversary of her death.

Meanwhile, Prince William and Princess Kate paid their own tribute at a Women’s Institute event in Berkshire, a mere 8 miles away.

Just a few hours later, Harry rushed back to London to attend the WellChild charity bash, and was seen walking the red carpet on the way in.

Hours after paying his respects to the late Queen Harry rushed off to attend the WellChild charity’s annual awards event.

Royal historian and expert Hugo Vickers has weighed in on Harry’s return to the UK, saying the Queen would be devastated the couple’s didn’t meet, despite being so close by.

He called Harry a “distraction” who made the queen “very unhappy in the last couple of years.”

In an exclusive chat with The Sun, Mr Vickers said that the Queen was always disappointed when Harry went away and compared the Duke to a childminder during her last few years.

The Queen would be devastated to see how it has turned out for her grandson following his controversial move to America, he said.

Mr Vickers added: “I suspect she would be quite sad to see Harry now.

“Whereas he had a lot of very important responsibilities beforehand, like what the Queen, Prince William, and the King are now all doing – which is very important.

“He is now involved in usually quite understated public engagements, private engagements as well as organisations and charities.

“As I’ve said on many occasions in the past, the royals are working for us, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

“They are putting things into life, they’re serving. Which is the complete opposite of what Prince Harry’s mostly doing.

“I mean, admittedly, with this charity, fine, he’s supporting it. Let’s hope that that does some good.

“And I would like to see him do more of those sort of things, and less of hanging around in the back of Meghan Markle’s cookery programs.”

Mr Vickers said he was glad that the Duke had privately paid his respects despite the royal rifts that developed in the last years of Queen Elizabeth’s life.

He said: “I’m sure he misses his grandmother, but the sad thing is that he did make her very unhappy in the last couple of years of her life, and he caused her a lot of trouble, and he probably feels rather guilty about that.”

But Mr Vickers believes the Duke has regrets about his previous actions and said the whole situation was “very sad.”

He went on to say however, that the rift was “of Harry’s making” and said the firm probably feels that the once-popular Prince has taken a “cushy escape route” while the rest of the family have soldiered on with their duties.

The royal historian said: “I do feel sorry for him, just on a human level. He obviously got on terribly well with his grandmother.

“There are some very nice clips of them together.

“Most people who chuck in their duty and try and take the path of perceived happiness, they usually regret it, to be quite honest.”

And Mr Vickers added that it was a shame that the firm couldn’t come together to show grief for the passing of the late Queen.

The sombre day saw the royals split, mourning separately with Harry showing up to his grandmothers resting place solo.

Mr Vickers said: “As far as paying respects to a grandmother, I’m very glad that he did it on his own, because I think that’s appropriate.

“It’s a shame that there isn’t a sort of unified, showing of grief, I guess, but that’s not likely to happen.

“I’m glad he went, and I hope he got some comfort out of it.”

However, speculation on whether Harry will meet with any members of his estranged family is running rampant and is a constant distraction, Mr Vickers added.

Mr Vickers said that it was unfortunate that the Duke of Sussex always creates a “distraction” when he visits the UK.

Mr Vickers told The Sun : “Well, he comes over from time to time to do his charities, and that I very much commend, because that’s what he was trained to do, and he’s very good at it.

“I think we have seen him doing a little bit more of that recently than in the year gone by – and in a way, that’s to be encouraged.

“The unfortunate thing is, of course, that every time he appears, he attracts a lot of speculation and publicity. Will he meet his father? Will he meet his brother?

“And so, unfortunately, he is always a distraction, but, let us hope that his visit at least helps the charity that he’s come here to support.”

Mr Vickers believes that the King has left the door open for the Duke of Sussex to return and reconcile with his father and the rest of the firm.

However, if Harry can swallow his pride and apologise, the royal expert mused that he can find his way back to the family.

And this is something Mr Vickers thinks would be “good for everyone.”

The royal historian said: “He should apologise to them. I think it would be very much in his interests to reconcile with his father.

“If he doesn’t, and if anything happens to his father, he’s gonna feel pretty bad about that, and he’s got enough things to feel bad about without having that on top of everything else.

“The King, I’m sure, would see him, if he behaved properly.

“But I think that it would be in everybody’s interest to reconcile, if that’s possible, at least get onto some sort of friendly terms.

“To be honest, it is usually possible if both sides are prepared to compromise.”

Unfortunately though Mr Vickers doesn’t see much chance of that happening the way things are at the moment.

He certainly doesn’t see a warm reconciliation with Prince William any time soon, with the two brother’s bond to badly damaged.

The royal historian believes the Prince of Wales has been left “very upset by the way his brother has behaved.”

He added: “Of course, it’s always much more difficult when you’ve been very close to somebody.

“The two brothers were very, very close. And their mother, I think, would be terribly unhappy, and their grandmother too, frankly.”

Mr Vickers raised concerns over Harry’s trip to pay respects to his late grandmother.

Harry arrived in the UK from his home in California earlier today.

The Duke laid a wreath and flowers as he paid his private respects to his grandmother in St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, this morning.

At the same time, the Prince and Princess of Wales were in Sunningdale, Berkshire, at an event to commemorate the late Queen.

A Range Rover, thought to be carrying the Duke of Sussex, left the Windsor Suite at Heathrow Airport shortly after the Harry’s flight landed.

It remains unclear if Harry will see any of the firm today, his father King Charles, has not seen the Duke for 19 months.