Prince Harry honored children fighting serious illnesses at the annual WellChild Awards in London Sept. 30, but one award winner took the time to think about the Duke of Sussex at the event, too. Ten-year-old Scarlett Cripps presented Harry with a touching gift while chatting with the royal—and she included extra for his kids and Meghan Markle.
Cripps—who looked very royal herself in a sparkly purple dress— sat down to talk to Prince Harry with her mother, Aby, presenting the Duke of Sussex with a pouch containing four crystal hearts.
The pre-teen gave Harry one for himself and one for the Duchess of Sussex as well as hearts for Princess Lilibet, 3, and Prince Archie, 5. Proud mom Aby told People that her daughter "gave Prince Harry some crystal hearts so if he feels down he can give a crystal heart to each of his family members to squeeze and make them feel a lot happier."
The reason why Scarlett gave the Duke of Sussex the gift will tug at your heart strings, with Aby explaining, “She said he does so much for other people as well. She’s getting an award tonight for the stuff she does for others and wanted to give him something back, as well.”
Scarlett's mom said that Harry told Scarlett the gift was “a lovely gesture" and that he told press at the event he'd hold on to the hearts when he was missing his “lovely wife" and family back at home.
As for her meeting with Prince Harry, Scarlett told People she thought "it was really exciting" to chat with the Duke of Sussex, adding, "We were talking about his charities.”
The tween was presented with an Inspirational Child Award for ages 7 through 11 at the Sept. 30 ceremony due to her constant desire to give back to other sick children. Scarlett suffers from "a serious brain malformation and extensive spinal syrinx" according to a press release from WellChild, and has spent a significant amount of time in the hospital since her birth.
Despite her own health issues, "brave and cheerful" Scarlett started her own charity campaign called "Scarlett Smiles" to support kids going through similar challenges.
As for his own children, Prince Harry also revealed an item Princess Lilibet can't be without at the event, telling 6-year-old Noah Nicholson that his daughter needs plenty of backup stuffed animals.
The Duke of Sussex—who met Noah at Sheffield Children’s Hospital five years ago—noticed that he was holding the same stuffed giraffe toy attached to a blanket that he was clutching during their first meeting.
"Is this the same one?" Harry asked him (via the Express), exclaiming "no way!" and adding, "I’ve got at least six spare...My daughter Lili has these loveys."
Prince Harry has served as patron of WellChild for the past 16 years, with Monday marking the 12th time he's attended the charity's annual awards ceremony. After his trip to the U.K. the duke will be giving back to young people on another trip, visiting South Africa and Lesotho on behalf of his charity Sentebale.
