Prince Harry jokes with Diana Legacy Awards winners after William leaves

Entertainment

By Nika Shakhnazarova

Prince Harry was in good spirits as he chatted with the Diana Legacy Award winners on Thursday night, and after his estranged brother William left the building.

The Duke of Sussex made a brief appearance at the ceremony via video call where he spoke to the young winners of the award, which they each received from their brother, Prince William, earlier in the evening.

“I’m sorry I’m not there,” Harry, 39, said from his home in Montecito, California. “I wish I could be there with you.”

The father of two thanked the young winners for “inspiring so many others” and “protecting my mother’s legacy” with their humanitarian work, a reference to his beloved late mother, Princess Diana.

Harry then changed the subject and joked around with the group, giving them some good advice before heading out to celebrate their respective victories with a night on the town.

“Enjoy the rest of the evening if that’s what you plan to do,” he said. “Don’t get into too much trouble if you continue.”

Harry opted not to attend the awards in person just weeks after losing his bid for taxpayer-funded security protection for his family in the UK.

The fugitive king’s quick phone call came after his estranged brother left London’s Science Museum, where he presented awards and gave a speech in honor of his later mother.

William attended Thursday’s awards ceremony alone while his wife Kate Middleton recovers from surgery and the recent photo scandal that rocked the palace.

“Tonight’s Legacy Award is particularly special as it marks the 25th anniversary of the Diana Award, a charity created to reflect my mother’s belief that young people can change the world,” said the Prince of Wales.

“I know it would have been an honor for her to see a charity in her name doing such inspiring work to uplift young people from all corners of the world,” William, 41, said. “She taught me that we all have the potential to give something back; that everyone in need deserves a helping hand in life.”

“That legacy is something that both Catherine and I have tried to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award in the last 25 years,” William said of his wife.

William presented a total of 20 awards to recipients at the event.

The feuding brothers have often appeared together at previous awards ceremonies.

However, since the Sussexes stepped down as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 and subsequently moved to the US, their involvement in the charity has been separate from that of their brother.

Harry and William’s refusal to join forces in person only highlights their current rift, as they have not seen each other since King Charles’ coronation on May 6, 2023.

The brothers are believed not to have seen each other during Harry’s quick 24-hour trip to London in February.