Prince Harry pays surprise visit to London charity event

Harry visited Kew Gardens in west London for a WellChild awards ceremony

Prince Harry speaks to award winner Anna Marie McLachlan, with the family she supports, at the WellChild Awards 2021 in Kew Gardens, London. WellChild / AP

Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance at a London charity event to meet seriously ill children.

The Duke of Sussex is back in Britain and is due to join his brother, Prince William, to unveil a statue Thursday in honour of their late mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday.

On Wednesday, Harry visited Kew Gardens in west London for an awards ceremony for WellChild, a charity for which he is patron of.

He was joined at the garden party by celebrities including Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones and singer Ed Sheeran.

Harry chatted with children who won awards and their families, and was seen telling some of those attending that it was “quite a juggle” coping with his newborn daughter Lilibet, and his son Archie, 2.

He said the charity had “an extraordinarily special place in my heart".

“Now, as a father of two, I feel all the more connected, inspired and in awe of the resilience of these families, who power through indescribable challenges with the support of WellChild,” the prince said.

Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped down from royal duties last year and are now living in California.

He last visited the UK for the funeral of his grandfather, Prince Philip, in April.

Harry and William commissioned the statue of their mother in 2017 to honour her legacy. The monument will be unveiled Thursday in Kensington Palace, their childhood home.