The parents of a four-year-old boy with serious health issues have praised “wonderful” Prince Harry after he joined them for a video chat.
Henry Waines was due to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the WellChild Awards last month, but the event was cancelled following the death of the Queen.
So this week, Harry – who has been a patron of WellChild since 2007 – called Henry to congratulate him on winning the Inspirational Child Award in the four to seven-year-old category.
In a video call from his California home, the prince chatted to Henry and his parents, Shevonne and Ben.
And the youngster, who dressed up for the call in a waistcoat, asked: “How are Archie and Lilibet doing?”
Harry told him: “They’re doing great. Archie is very, very busy, and Lily is learning to use her voice.”
He then told Henry: “You sound just like my son Archie, really. The same squeaky voice. I love it.”
Henry, from Bridlington, East Yorks, was born with complex health conditions that affected his ability to breathe, eat and speak. His windpipe was just 1.5mm wide when it should have been 6-8mm.
Henry had life-saving surgery when he was just five weeks old and spent the first 15 months of his life in hospital.
He now uses a ventilator 24 hours a day – which he pulls behind him in a trailer when he rides his bike.
Although Henry has endured multiple surgeries, mum Shevonne said he is still a lively, happy little boy.
During their video call, the prince – who also phoned the charity’s other winners – apologised to Henry for not being able to meet him in person. He also told him his real name was Henry too, saying: “My name’s Henry as well. But everyone calls me Harry. I have no idea why.”
Then Shevonne, 37, revealed the couple had named their son after the prince, and explained: “Before he arrived in the world, we found you were a Prince Henry and not Harry, and we loved that name. From then on, he was Henry.”
After the video call, Shevonne praised the prince’s warmth and kindness.
The family had been due to sit on Harry and Meghan’s table at the awards ceremony on September 8.
But the event was called off after news of the Queen’s death, which occurred the same day.
Shevonne said: “WellChild is a fantastic charity. We got a call to say
the Queen wasn’t well and Harry had gone to Balmoral.
“We were sat with Gaby Roslin… she got a message on her phone and her face dropped. That’s when she announced the Queen had died.
“We fully understood why the event was cancelled – it was out of respect at an unprecedented time. We understood the gravity of the situation.” But a couple of weeks later, the family received a letter from WellChild, offering to arrange a Zoom call.
“We told them we’d be delighted,” Shevonne said.
“Harry called on Wednesday after school and we spent a few minutes chatting. It was just lovely.
“Considering what has happened – he’s recently lost his grandmother – he still made time to see us and make contact.
“No one can understand the impact of things on him and his family. Everything is done with so much publicity. But hats off to him for putting that to one side. He gave us a really big welcome and said sorry that
we didn’t meet. He was nice, kind and gentle. He was wonderful. He responded to everything Henry said… that was really sweet.”
As well as being born with a narrow windpipe, Henry also had two holes in his heart, which were fixed when he was five weeks old.
Since then, he has been receiving treatment at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Shevonne said: “Henry needs 24-hour care. One of his lungs doesn’t work and he needs the ventilator and tracheostomy, and
a suction machine, which we carry everywhere.”
She went on: “He’s a bright little boy. He started school in September, he rides his bike and we take him swimming on Saturday.
“His health is very complex, but he is able-bodied.
“We always ask, ‘What can we do?’ rather than, ‘What can’t we do?’ to enable him and support him in the right way. He’s joyful and amazing.”
