Prince Harry has appeared in public for the first time since he and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, announced to the world that they would be stepping back from their royal duties.
The Duke of Sussex played
host to the Rugby League World Cup 2021 at Buckingham Palace today.
This is the first time the
embroiled prince has appeared on royal duty since he and his wife expressed
their desire to be financially
independent while splitting their time between North
America and Britain.
Harry attended the midday
sports event along with the chair of UK Sport, Dame Katherine Grainger and Jason
Robinson, former England rugby player. They all joined to draw the group teams
for the tournament for different categories, i.e. the men’s, women’s, and
wheelchair tournaments.
Before the heavily televised
draw, the prince met with the kids from a local school along with the
representatives from 21 nations that were to participate in the tournament
which officially kicks off on October 23, 2021.
Looking dapper in a nice,
dark suit and tie, the Duke smiled as he shook hands with youngsters, who went
ahead to give a rugby demonstration on the immaculate palace lawn.
Prince Harry even joked with
the children about how active some of them had been. “It appears some of you
are really warm…some of you have not been running around,” he said jokingly.
“But look after the grass, yeah? Or else, I’ll be in trouble.”
Before the draw, the prince
stated how the impact sport has had a profound and remarkable effect on him and
others, especially youngsters.
He said, “Not only do I
continue to see how the sport changes lives, but also how it is saving lives as
well.”
Prince Harry has been Patron
of the Rugby Football League since December 2016 when he acquired the role from
the Queen.
According to Buckingham
Palace, “The Duke of Sussex has always believed strongly in the role of sport
to change people’s lives and bring communities together.”
“Rugby League World Cup
2021 is eager to ensure a real social impact from the three tournaments,
focusing on communities across some of the most disadvantaged areas in England.”
Ahead of his appearance and
according to the Rugby League, Prince Harry expressed his immense support for
the launch of the first-ever Rugby League Mental Fitness Charter which is
geared towards providing training for match officials, players as well as
volunteers in order to look after their mental health.
The Duchess of Sussex,
Meghan, visited a women’s center located in Vancouver on Tuesday which make
this her first
public appearance since she and her husband announced they
would be stepping back as senior royals last week.
The Duchess has been several
days in Canada in order to be with baby Archie while the royal family is making
attempts to deal with the current situation. The Duke attended a meeting with
the Queen and other members of the royal family on Monday.
