The Duke of Sussex has surprised bereaved children of military personnel with a special Christmas message while dressed as Spider-Man.
Prince Harry put on the superhero costume to record a video for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity dedicated to supporting bereaved British Forces children and young people.
The organisation posted a tweet teasing the surprise, with a photograph of the duke in a full Spider-Man costume and the caption: “Guess who is behind this costume and has recorded a very special message for Scotty’s members?”
In the video, which was played to members of Scotty’s Little Soldiers at their annual Christmas party, Harry wears his mask right until the very end.
He welcomed members to the event in the pre-recorded message and said: “I hope you guys got some rest before tonight’s excitement. I hear from Sharky and George that there are five villains that you guys need to stop from ruining Christmas.
“So, use your teamwork, your brains and your brawn to make sure that you do exactly that. Find them and don’t let them ruin Christmas, OK?
“At the same time, Christmas is a time we will miss our loved ones really, really badly. And that’s OK. But at the same time, it can be possible to feel guilty for having run without our parents.
“But I am here to assure you that our parents always want us to have fun. So don’t feel guilty, you’re allowed to have the best time ever, especially with this Scotty’s Little Soldiers community. So go out there and have the best time, and…”
At this point in the video, Harry pulls up the bottom of his mark, revealing his identity to the children.
“Merry Christmas!” he wishes the children with a big smile.
Many have reacted with delight to the duke’s surprise appearance in the video.
“Harry! That’s so sweet and a lovely message for Scotty’s Little Soldiers,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another said the clip was “too adorable for words”, while a third said: “Love it, The kids must love it too. Archie and [Lilibet’s] dad is dad goals.”
Harry joined the British Army in 2005, starting out as a cadet and rising to the ranks of lieutenant. He was deployed on tour to Afghanistan twice, making him the first member of the British royal family to serve in a war zone since his uncle, the Duke of York, flew helicopters during the Falklands War.
Since leaving the army in 2015, the duke has been involved in a number of military charities. He also launched the Invictus Games shortly before resigning.
The Invictus Games is a Paralympics-style event for injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans.
