Days after his father King Charles disclosed his cancer diagnosis, Prince Harry made an unexpected appearance on Thursday night in Las Vegas to present an award at the 2024 NFL Honors.
At the ceremony, The Duke made an appearance to give the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award to defensive lineman Cam Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Harry’s attendance at the ceremony comes after he traveled great distances on Tuesday, thousands of miles away from his home in Montecito, California, to be at the King’s side. The two had a 45-minute meeting at Clarence House.
Photo: ©NFL via X
On Thursday, Harry made his first public appearance since his father’s diagnosis. He made a joke about how the US “stole rugby from us and you made it your own” while introducing the award.
“Instead of passing it backwards, just pass it forwards,” he said. “Why not put on a helmet and pads?
“Joking aside, you guys really amaze me with what you accomplish both on and off the field. Millions of people look up to you because of the way you conduct yourself and give back. The highest honor, the final award, is all about giving back to your community, and today we’d like to honor one very special man.”
When Cam Heyward received the award, he couldn’t contain his surprise. He gave Prince Harry a hug before stating, “Prince freakin Harry, I’m just shocked, that’s Prince Harry.”
Photo: © Peter Macdiarmid/LNP
Harry was seen at London’s Heathrow Airport on Wednesday afternoon after his father and son reunited. The Duchess of Sussex, meanwhile, continued to live with her children, Prince Archie, age four, and Princess Lilibet, age two, at their Montecito residence.
The King and Queen were seen being driven to Buckingham Palace, where a helicopter transported them to their Sandringham home in Norfolk, less than an hour after Harry arrived at Clarence House.
Although Buckingham Palace confirmed in June of last year that the Sussexes had left their official UK residence, Frogmore Cottage, it is unknown where Harry stayed during his visit to the country.
Photo: © Mike Coppola
Harry is back in America and will undoubtedly be getting ready for his trip to Canada the following week. The Sussexes are scheduled to travel for the One Year to Go celebrations of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 on February 14 and 16.
HELLO! understands that Harry and Meghan will be attending the Participating Nations Winter Training Camp, which offers the International Invictus Community—including team managers, coaches, and competitors—a chance to experience winter adaptive sports in advance of the Games in 2019. The camp will take place over three days in Vancouver and Whistler.
