Prince Harry Receives Warm Welcome From Students Ahead of First Child's Birth
Prince Harry is weeks away from becoming a dad for the first time, and the royal got even more [...]
Prince Harry is weeks away from becoming a dad for the first time, and the royal got even more practice interacting with kids on Wednesday when he visited St. Vincent's Catholic Primary School in Acton, England.
Upon his arrival, the 34-year-old was greeted by students holding signs and a row of paper flags they had created for the day which featured drawings and welcoming messages.
"I hope you have a nice time in our school," one flag read, while another shared a more personal message for Harry, reading, "Good luck with your baby!"
"How long did it take you to make?" Harry asked one 9-year-old student, according to PEOPLE. He was told art came easily to the children and jokingly offered, "What, five minutes? Wow!"
The Daily Mail adds that one student asked, "When is the real Prince Harry coming?" to which the royal responded, "I'm the real Harry. I've just had my hair cut for the occasion." Harry was also asked where his wife, Meghan Markle, was, to which he mimed a baby bump to represent the Duchess' pregnancy and subsequent maternity leave.
The Duke of Sussex visited the school to continue his family's tradition of planting a tree, which is part of the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy initiative. The initiative is a network of forest conservation programs in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth that aim to secure forests around the world.
Harry joined the students to plant saplings in the school's outdoor nature area before planting his own wild cherry sapling to recognize the achievements of the QCC and the Woodland Trust charity. The students also performed a rendition of "Seasons of Love" from the musical Rent.
On Tuesday, Harry and Markle made a quiet visit to New Zealand House in London after the recent Christchurch shooting in New Zealand. The couple left a message in the condolence book, with royal reporter Omid Scobie sharing that Markle wrote, "Our deepest condolences...We are with you," while Harry offered the Maori word "Arohanui," which means "with deep affection." The royal couple also spoke to staff at the House and laid flowers down outside.
Meghan wrote, “Our deepest condolences... We are with you.”
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) March 19, 2019
Harry signed his name alongside the Maori word “Arohanui,” which means “with deep affection.”#ChristchurchStrong🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/DaKMwEf4R3
Markle is due to give birth at the end of April, and while the Duchess of Sussex has officially gone on maternity leave from public engagements, she will continue to take private meetings.
Photo Credit: Getty / Karwai Tang