Prince Harry says the late Queen ‘is looking down on us all, happy we’re together’ as he returns to the UK for the first time in months to attend WellChild awards on eve of first anniversary of her death: Duke says wife Meghan is ‘upset she can’t be here’

Prince Harry says the late Queen is ‘looking down on us all’ and is ‘happy we’re together’ as he returned to the UK for the first time in three months to attend an annual charity awards ceremony on the eve of the first anniversary of her death.

The Duke of Sussex arrived in Britain this morning to attend the WellChild Awards at the Hurlingham Club in London – an event he ‘looks forward to each year’.

‘As you know, I was unable to attend the awards last year as my grandmother passed away,’ he told the the audience, referencing how he travelled to Balmoral, Scotland last year to be with his family and attend the monarch’s deathbed.

‘As you also probably know, she would have been the first person to insist that I still come to be with you all instead of going to her. And that’s precisely why I know, exactly one year on, she is looking down on all of us tonight, happy we’re together continuing to spotlight such an incredible community.’ 

The awards ceremony is taking place on the eve of the first anniversary of the death of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The UK’s longest-serving monarch died at Balmoral in Scotland on September 8 last year, aged 96, after reigning for 70 years.

Harry is visiting Britain without his wife Meghan and their children Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, who have remained at home in Montecito, California. 

Prince Harry returned to Britain for the first time in three months today to attend a charity awards ceremony on the eve of the anniversary of the Queen’s death

The WellChild awards are being held at The Hurlingham Club, Ranelagh Gardens, London

The Duke of Sussex speaks to and hi-fives Violet Seymour during the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club

The Duke of Sussex is given an ice hockey shirt by Blake McCaughey during the annual WellChild Awards

Prince Harry speaks to George Hall and his mother Hollie Pearson at the awards ceremony

Seven-year-old Poppy Higham, from Runcorn, danced to music by Ed Sheeran in front of Harry, to which he gave warm applause 

The Duke of Sussex is in London tonight to celebrate the achievements and resilience of seriously-ill children and their families who are supported by WellChild, an organisation he has been a patron of for 15 years.

Harry, making his first appearance in the UK since June, cut a relaxed figure as he sat with seriously ill children and their families during a pre-ceremony reception.

He spoke with them about their interests and hobbies and had several interactions with their accompanying balloons, which were shaped as different animals.

The Duke sat down with each young award winner in turn before chatting to adult winners at the reception, which lasted just under an hour.

He fist-bumped two of the boys receiving Inspirational Young Person awards – George Hall, 11, from Skipton, North Yorkshire, and Blake McCaughey, 15, from Tandragee in County Armagh.

Blake and his family gifted Harry a green Belfast Giants ice hockey shirt, personalised with the duke’s name on the back.

The pair then talked about Blake’s tiger balloon, and Harry asked him ‘Do you want to take this home with you?’ to which the teenager shook his head.

Another award winner, seven-year-old Poppy Higham, from Runcorn, danced to music by Ed Sheeran in front of Harry, to which he gave warm applause.

The duke then played around with a giraffe balloon and showed Poppy its rotating head, prompting the youngster to pick it up and play with it.

Poppy, who cares for her 17-year-old sister Paige, said she enjoyed speaking to Harry about ‘my dancing, Disney and the awards’.

Her father, Daniel Higham, said: ‘We’re so proud of it (the award) – it’s amazing.

‘She just makes our life a lot easier sometimes when it’s not going right, she just gets on with it. I think she just takes it in her stride.’

He had earlier shown the same feature to Hayley Cassin, from Rotherham, winner of the Inspirational Young Person aged 12-14 category.

Noting that each winner’s balloon represented a different animal, Harry asked: ‘Is the theme Madagascar?’

Harry regularly attends its annual awards ceremony, but the Duchess of Sussex, a guest at past events, did not join him this evening.

Last year’s awards were held on the day the Queen died, forcing Harry and Meghan to withdraw from the event as the Duke flew to Scotland to be with other members of the royal family.

Prince William speaks with Paul Gascoigne at Pret A Manger in Bournemouth today

He has been WellChild’s patron for 15 years and regularly attends its annual awards ceremony, but the Duchess of Sussex, a guest at past events, is not expected to join him

Prince Harry smiles with Craig Hatch, Chairman of WellChild, as he arrives to attend the WellChild Awards ceremony in London

Harry speaks to George Hall and his mother Hollie Pearson during the WellChild Awards 2023

Charlotte Hawkins attends the 2023 WellChild Awards at The Hurlingham Club

James Cracknall and wife Jordan Connell arrive for the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club in London

The awards ceremony is being held two days before Harry’s Invictus Games – for wounded military personnel and veterans – begins in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Saturday and is staged over eight days. 

But Harry is not likely to see his father King Charles III or his brother Prince William during his quick visit to the UK, with the siblings not thought to have been in touch for months.

William was 100 miles away from London in Dorset today, visiting Bournemouth AFC and a Pret A Manger café as part of his major campaign to end homelessness, as King Charles III was spotted out driving near to Balmoral, where he is spending the summer.

The Duke last appeared publicly in the UK three months ago for his high-profile legal case at the High Court against Mirror Group Newspapers.

The venue of tonight’s awards ceremony had been kept secret, with the organisers declining to tell MailOnline the location in advance.

One source said both the organisers and Harry were ‘absolutely paranoid’ about the location being revealed before the event.

WellChild did however reveal a livestream of the awards will be broadcast from 6.15pm via the website of Hello! magazine, which are its official media partners.

The magazine also reported that Harry will likely remain in Britain tomorrow for the anniversary of the Queen’s death. He will then travel to Dusseldorf on Saturday.

Harry said: ‘For nearly 20 years, WellChild has been transforming the lives of children and young people across the UK, providing critical care that prioritises the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of these individuals and their families.’

The Duke appeared in good spirits upon his arrival to the UK

Meanwhile King Charles III was seen driving in Scotland today near to Balmoral Castle

Prince Harry has been WellChild’s patron for 15 years and regularly attends its annual awards ceremony. He is pictured at the event today

Charlotte Hawkins attends the 2023 WellChild Awards at The Hurlingham Club

Seema Jaswal arrives for the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club in London

WellChild chief executive Matt James said: ‘The number of children and young people in the UK living with long-term, complex medical needs is growing.

‘The WellChild Awards 2023, in association with GSK, will be a unique opportunity to shine a light on the immense challenges they face and to celebrate their remarkable resilience and spirit.

‘It will also provide an opportunity to recognise the selfless dedication of those around them, from siblings and parent carers to the professionals who have gone above and beyond to give them the very best chance to thrive.’

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are not expected to attend any public engagements this week as they remember the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

The pair will instead mark the anniversary privately tomorrow at their Scottish retreat, where they are spending their traditional summer break.

It is thought that William has not had any contact with his younger brother since Harry released his autobiography Spare in January, in which he accused his older brother of pushing him to the ground, causing Harry to fall on a dog bowl.

Harry has handed back the keys to his Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor and it is unclear whether his family would offer him any other accommodation during his stay.

Harry also appeared to again criticise his family last month in his new Netflix series about the Invictus Games.

In an interview as part of the Heart of Invictus series, the Duke said that he had ‘no support structure’ to help him cope with his mental health issues stemming from his time in Afghanistan and the death of his mother Princess Diana.

Then on Monday night, Meghan was photographed at a Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles with actress Kerry Washington and singer Kelly Rowland as her relaunch continues. 

On Sunday, Harry had been seen sitting in a box at the Los Angeles FC stadium next to the couple’s Hollywood venture capitalist friend Adam Lilling who is thought to be helping the Sussexes with their big rebrand.

Prince Harry arrives on the red carpet ahead of the night of celebrations

Harry is in London briefly ahead of the Invictus Games in Germany

Natalie Rushdie attends the 2023 WellChild Awards at The Hurlingham Club

Ed Chamberlin arrives for the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club in London

Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan arrives to attend the WellChild Awards ceremony

Prince William has a surprise meeting with Paul Gascoigne at a Pret in Bournemouth today

Prince William speaks to Pret chief executive Pano Christou in Bournemouth this afternoon, 100 miles away from the awards

Dick McCourt and Dominic Wood attend the 2023 WellChild Awards at The Hurlingham Club

Nadine Coyle attends the 2023 WellChild Awards at The Hurlingham Club

Meanwhile Meghan is reportedly getting ready to ‘re-launch’ herself on Instagram and experts predict she could make $1million per post.

Harry will give a welcome speech in Dusseldorf this Saturday at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, the paralympic-style competition for injured military personnel and veterans that he founded.

Meghan is expected to join him at the eight-day event later in the week.

Last year, Meghan took to the stage to pay tribute to the competitors and their families, before introducing her husband.

The Duchess later made a surprise solo visit to a charity supporting girls and non-binary children.

Harry’s arrival at Dusseldorf town hall on Saturday is set to coincide with a demonstration, confirmed by a police spokesman, by activists who claim the German military will use the competition to target students and recruit them to the armed forces.

In addition to attending this year’s Invictus Games, Harry is also set to take part in a German version of ‘Match of the Day’ to help promote the competition.

He will be a guest on a late-night TV show which usually discuss and analyses the afternoon’s football in Germany’s Bundesliga.

But rather than talking about the latest results involving Harry Kane’s new team Bayern Munich, he will be discussing the Invictus Games.

Emma Willis arrives for the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club in London

Danny Jones and Ambrosio Nixon arrive for the annual WellChild Awards 2023 at the Hurlingham Club in London

Tom Felton attends the 2023 WellChild Awards at The Hurlingham Club

The Duke will be joined by the German defence minister Boris Pistorius for the live chat on Saturday night on the sport studio show. Three competitors from the games will also take part.

Harry is expected to fly by helicopter from to the ZDF studios in Mainz after the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.

The transport will be provided by the German military who are the hosts for the week-long event involving teams from 21 different countries.

Harry will be launching the bi-annual games on his own in Germany as his wife Meghan remains home in California with their two young children.

She is expected to join him later in the week and take part in the closing ceremony at the Merkur-Spiel Arena. Singer Rita Ora will perform at the closing event where both Harry and Meghan will give speeches.