Prince Harry visits London without Meghan Markle as King Charles spends time in Scotland

The Duke of Sussex was upstaged by a child during his solo trip to London, laughing when the boy threw soft toys at him and going straight into dad mode as he picked them up.

Prince Harry has let a cute detail slip about his daughter Lillibet on a solo trip to the UK.

The Duke of Sussex is in London for the WellChild Awards and spent time chatting to seriously ill youngsters from around the country as well as their parents and carers.

One young boy threw his soft toys at the royal, and when Harry picked them up, the prince noticed he had a giraffe called Raffy - the same toy he had when they first met in 2019.

“Is this the same one? No way!” Harry said.

“Every parent has a spare. I’ve got at least six spares. My daughter Lili has these Lovies.”

Prince Harry, 40, attended the moving event as patron and presented an award and delivered a brief speech at the event, which celebrates the achievements of seriously ill children.

A potential reunion with his father King Charles is looking precarious.

Prince Harry with WellChild Award winner Noah Nicholson. Picture: Instagram/WellChild

The Independent reported that the Duke shared heartfelt moments with a seven-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, who tossed his toys out of his stroller and the Prince smiled and picked them up. Another child, Noah Nicholson, 6, tugged at the Prince’s beard after winning an award for the most Inspirational Child aged four to six.

On Instagram, WellChild posted video of Prince Harry meeting the children and listening intently to them and their carers.

The expat royal visited London alone for the awards. Earlier this year he explained why he will not bring his wife Meghan Markle to the UK

The Duke of Sussex revealed he fears “an acid or knife attack” triggered by negative stories in the tabloid press.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex smiles as he attends the Wellchild Awards. Prince Harry has been the charity's Patron since 2007 and has attended their Awards Ceremony 12 times. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Speaking on ITV’s Tabloids on Trial, he said: “All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read. And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is.”

“They are genuine concerns for me,” he added. “They are one of the reasons I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”

The Prince has been embroiled in a lengthy battle to have his taxpayer-funded security reinstated after he lost it by stepping down as a working royal.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (C) smiles as he attends the Wellchild Awards 2024 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on September 30, 2024 in London, England. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The WellChild Awards is one of a few visits the Duke has made to the UK this year, and it is not known if a meeting with King Charles has been confirmed for this visit.

The royal father and son reportedly last saw each other for less than an hour in February following the announcement of the King’s cancer diagnosis.

It is thought that the monarch will remain in Balmoral, Scotland, over the coming days, and not return to London, although Buckingham Palace has not clarified this.

Prince Harry “knows that time is running out” for a reconciliation with the royal family, according to a royal expert.

Royal commentator Maureen Callahan told GB News, “He still has tenuous connections with a few friends of his and William’s back in the UK. But he also knows that time is running out.

“Charles is being treated for cancer. He’s an old man. If he does not make his way back into good graces with Charles while he has the chance, he’s never going to have that chance with William.

“But William won’t have it now. He won’t have it at all. William will be the next King, also.”

King Charles III after addressing the Holyrood Chamber during a visit to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Picture: Andrew Milligan - Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry’s relationship with his family became more than strained after his decision to step down as a working royal in 2020, the publication of his bombshell memoir Spare in 2023, and a series of tell-all interviews given to international media.

It comes as Buckingham Palace said it did not ask Boris Johnson to confront Prince Harry over his decision to leave the UK, according to The Independent.

The former British PM has claimed in a new book he was urged to give the Duke of Sussex a “manly pep talk” to convince him to stay in England and not step down from royal duties.

In his memoir, Unleashed, which will be published on 10 October, Mr Johnson describes “a ridiculous business … when they made me try to persuade Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless”.

Originally published as Prince Harry visits London without Meghan Markle as King Charles spends time in Scotland