Two years before Prince Harry became a father for the first time, the Duke of Sussex‘s paternal side was captured in a hilarious display at the 2017 Invictus Games.
As Harry, then 32, sat into the stands with a large bag of popcorn to watch the UK v Denmark match for the fourth day of the games in Toronto, it wasn’t long before a cheeky youngster took a keen fancy to Harry’s snack.
While Harry chatted with a man sat to his right, two-year-old Emily Henson, the daughter of former Invictus competitor and Paralympian David Henson MBE, reached into the popcorn bag and delighted in his tasty treat.
In a warm display of his fatherly side, the prince deliberately pretended not to notice Emily, sat on her mother Hayley’s lap, while she took several handfuls of popcorn – and instead continued his conversation with a humourous smirk.
Eventually, the prince broke character, turning to Emily to take a piece of popcorn out of the bag himself and offering it up to the adorable toddler.
As the two-year-old grabbed the piece of food from his hand, Harry made a feigned shocked expression towards the youngster before pulling a silly face and deftly pulling the bag away.
Footage of the interaction was shared to social media at the time and left royal fans delighted by the ‘super sweet’ and ‘wholesome’ moment shared between the pair.
One royal fan took to X to praise the prince for his ‘father instinct’ and added: ‘A very humane thing to do!’
When Harry sat in the stands with a large bag of popcorn to watch the UK v Denmark match for the fourth day of the games in Toronto, it wasn’t long before a cheeky youngster took a keen fancy to Harry’s snack
Another royal fanatic quipped: ‘So wholesome!’, while others praised Harry for his ‘kind’ decision to ‘look away and let joy continue’.
‘He was even tilting it for her,’ noted one eagle-eyed onlooker. ‘Never need to make a big deal out of gestures.’
Harry first met Emily’s paralympic father David in 2012 and the pair quickly forged a close friendship.
The former bomb disposal expert tragically lost both of his legs in February 2011 when he stood on an IED while on patrol for the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan. Ten months later, he put on his running blades for the first time.
In 2014 he was one of 400 injured former service personnel to compete in the inaugural Invictus Games in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Remarkably, just five years after he lost his legs, David even went on to win bronze at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Game.
As military surgeons battled to save his life, the former bomb disposal expert made the decision to preserve his sperm. In a twist of good fate, the couple later conceived Emily, born in 2015, via IVF.
Shortly after Emily’s birth, David emotionally told The Daily Telegraph: ‘She was “with me” the day I was injured but she wasn’t born until four years later.’
While Harry chatted with a man sat to his right, two-year-old Emily Henson, the daughter of former Invictus competitor and Paralympian David Henson MBE, reached into the popcorn bag and delighted in the tasty treat
Eventually, the prince broke character, turning to Emily to take a piece of popcorn out of the bag himself and offering it up to the adorable toddler. The heartwarming interaction delighted royal fans as one social media user praised the prince’s ‘father instinct!’
‘As soon as she came along we realised what we had been missing: it was her,’ he added.
The couple, who remain a close friend of the prince, welcomed their second child in 2018.
The September 2017 Invictus Games held particular poignance as it marked the first time Harry had made a public appearance with his then-girlfriend, Meghan Markle.
More than a year since they first became an item, the couple looked more loved-up than ever before as they delighted in watching the sporting events unfold.
At the time, the Daily Mail wrote how their appearance served as the surest sign yet that a marriage proposal was on the cards for the couple.
Just two months later, the couple announced their plans to wed in front of the world’s media on the steps of Kensington Palace gardens.
Harry had long spoken publicly about his desire to be a father and in 2015, during a visit to New Zealand, revealed that becoming a ‘fun’ uncle to his brother, Prince William’s children had made him yearn for a family of his own.
‘Of course I would love to have kids right now,’ the prince told Sky News.
Harry first met Emily’s paralympic father David (left) in 2012 and the pair quickly forged a close friendship. The former bomb disposal expert tragically lost both of his legs in February 2011 when he stood on an IED while on patrol for the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan
The September 2017 Invictus Games held particular poignance as it marked the first time Harry had made a public appearance with his then-girlfriend, Meghan Markle. Just two months later, the couple announced their plans to wed
‘It would be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure, but you know, time will come and whatever happens, happens.’
On May 6, 2019, him and Meghan welcomed their first child, Prince Archie, at London’s Portland Hospital.
The royal couple’s daughter, Princess Lilibet, who was fondly named in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was born on June 4, 2021.
When the prince was asked what he loves most about fatherhood during an interview in 2022, his heartwarming response was clear.
‘All of it’, he told NBC’s Hoda Kotb.
‘The chaos, the learning, the reminder of just every element of yourself, your soul, right?’
Beaming, the Duke added: ‘I love it. I love every part of it. I’ve always wanted to be a dad,’ he said. ‘I’ve always wanted to have my own kids and now I have got two little people who I’m responsible for.’
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