Harry: Does your brother drive you mad?

THE DUKE of Sussex spoke of the “challenging” relationship between siblings when he met seriously ill youngsters at the 2025 WellChild Awards last night.

- Emily Ferguson Royal Editor

After arriving at the London event, Harry delighted nine-year-old Gwen Foster by challenging her to a balloon-sword fight in a pre-ceremony reception with prize winners and their families.

Then, turning to Declan Bitmead, 17, who took the inspirational young person 15-18 years award, he asked about the lad’s family and if he had brothers or sisters.

Declan said he had a younger brother, prompting Harry, 40, to reply: “Does he drive you mad?”

The teen, from Oxted, Surrey, said, “No, we get on fine,” leading the Duke to comment: “You know what - siblings...”

When he learned that Declan and his brother go to the same school, Harry, who rarely speaks of his relationship with his estranged brother the Prince of Wales, said: “That sometimes makes it more challenging.”

He had previously spoken of being shunned by his older brother when he first arrived at Eton, telling an interviewer: “At the time it hurt. I couldn’t make sense of it.”

There was no mention of the moment yesterday and the royal went on to make Declan laugh by joking about his own looks.

The youngster suffered permanent sight impairment and lost 96% of his skin after developing a life-threatening reaction to a common tonsillitis treatment.

But Harry said he wouldn’t want to see him properly because “I’m bald and ginger and worst of all I've got a ginger beard — you're thinking, phew!”