Prince Harry wells up at awards for seriously ill children

[October 16, 2019]   LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Harry was overcome with emotion on Tuesday when he spoke at an event for seriously ill children, welling up as he explained how the event pulled at his heart strings now he was a father.

Harry, joined by his wife Meghan, briefly broke down as he made a speech at the WellChild Awards, recalling his feelings the year before when Meghan was pregnant and they contemplated how they would feel if their child became ill.

Fighting back tears, the sixth in line to the British throne looked down at the floor and was comforted by a television presenter onstage before the audience started to applaud.

"Sorry," he laughed, before continuing.

"I remember squeezing Meghan's hand so tight during the awards, both of us thinking what it would be like to be parents one day, and more so, what it would be like to do everything we could to protect and help our child should they be born with immediate challenges or become unwell over time," he said.

"And now, as parents, being here and speaking to all of you pulls at my heart strings in a way I could have never understood until I had a child of my own."

(Reporting by Toby Melville; writing by Katie Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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