Prince Harry made the holiday season a little brighter for nearly 200 children, dressing up as Santa Claus to record a video for the British charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers’ recent Christmas party.
Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a national charity that supports children who have lost a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. The organization was founded by Nikki Scott in memory of her husband and the father of her two children, Corporal Lee Scott, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.
In the video, Harry, 35, mimics jolly old St. Nick, donning a Santa hat and a matching coat and wearing a long white beard. “Ho, ho, ho! Hi, guys, everyone at Scotty’s Little Soldiers,” he says in the clip. “I hope you’re having an amazing time. I hear there are 190 of you there this year, so please cause as much chaos as humanly possible.”
All jokes aside, Harry urges the bereaved children to use the organization for support: “I also want to encourage you guys to look around and realize that you are part of a family — part of an amazing community — and that there’s support there for you every single day, should you need it,” he says.
The Duke of Sussex — whose mother, Princess Diana, died in 1997 — speaks from personal experience in the video. “Having met some of you — most of you — a few years ago, I know how incredibly strong you are,” he says. “And so yes, losing a parent is incredibly hard, but I know that every single one of you, by helping each other out … will have an amazing future ahead of you and a fantastic Christmas, as well.”
Harry, who shares 7-month old son Archie with wife Duchess Meghan, goes on: “So the last thing from me is, your parents, they will never be forgotten, and you will never be forgotten. And I really, really hope and I know that you will leave today with a huge smile on your face — and, for the younger ones of you, probably covered in food, as well.”
Pulling his fake beard off his face and giving a double thumbs-up, he adds, “So have a fantastic Christmas and a happy new year.”
On the Scotty’s Little Soldiers website, Scott praises Harry for sending the video message. “We’re so grateful to The Duke of Sussex for kindly recording a video message for the bereaved Forces children that attended the Scotty’s Little Soldiers Christmas party earlier this month,” she says. “It can be a difficult time of year for these kids, so receiving a heartfelt message from Prince Harry really meant the world to them. The message was a surprise and the look on their faces was priceless.”
