Prince Harry makes £1.1million personal donation to Children in Need in latest charm offensive as Prince William announces funding for homeless charity

Prince Harry was greeted by a modest crowd in Nottingham today outside a community project as he announced a huge charity donation amid speculation over whether he will meet his estranged father and brother.

The Duke of Sussex was at the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham; while Prince William was visiting a youth organisation in Lambeth, South London.

As part of today’s trip to Nottingham, Harry also said he was donating £1.1million to BBC Children in Need to help support work tackling violence affecting young people.

Meanwhile William’s Homewards initiative announced funding for the charity Spiral Skills to move into a new hub for young people at The Oasis Village in Tulse Hill. 

About 100 locals, including a group of young children, gathered by a garage on the other side of the road in Nottingham to clap and cheer for Harry – who arrived 45 minutes late after getting stuck in traffic as a result of London’s ongoing Tube strike.

But the crowd was a big contrast to when Harry and Meghan Markle carried out their first official engagement together in Nottingham in December 2017, where hundreds of excited well-wishers chanted their names or stretched out hands to greet them.

It is not known whether Harry will meet King Charles III, who is currently at Balmoral and along with Queen Camilla has no public engagements planned for this week.

Harry and Charles last met face-to-face in February 2024 when the Duke made a transatlantic dash to see the monarch after hearing of his cancer diagnosis, but they spent just over 30 minutes together before the King left for Sandringham.

Both Harry and William attended the funeral of their uncle Lord Fellowes in Norfolk a year ago in August 2024, but there was reportedly no interaction between them.

The Duke is making his first trip to the UK in five months to carry out a string of charity and other engagements. It is not known whether he will meet William this time.

The visit to Nottingham to the project he has supported for a number of years was announced on Sunday, two days before Harry’s trip – but royal fans who arrived for a glimpse of the Duke noted that they were surprised how few people had turned up.

Graham, 82, who was waiting for a glimpse of Harry, told Nottinghamshire Live: ‘I thought there might be a few more people here. It’ll be memorable. It’s not very often you get a member of the royal family here to see up close.’ 

His wife Patricia, 81, added: ‘We’re here because we like him. I’ve followed them since he was born but I’ve never had a chance to see him.’

Another royal fan Diana De Faria, 33, who is originally from Brazil but now lives in Nottinghamshire, told BBC News: ‘I’m here because I’m a big fan.

‘We in Brazil always see the news what is happening with the Royal Family. My father gave my name because of Princess Diana. I’m very excited to finally see him in person.’

Harry spent three hours on a visit to the CRS, and his personal donation via Children in Need will largely be ringfenced for the CRS to help local young people affected by violence and knife crime.

After leaving the building, Harry briefly spoke to the crowd, shook a couple of hands, posed for a couple of selfies and told a man that he liked his Union Jack spectacles. 

The Duke first visited the organisation in 2013 and was deeply inspired by the teenagers involved and their mentors. He has since returned on multiple occasions, both privately and on official royal engagements, most recently in 2019.

Despite relocating to California and giving up his role as a working royal, he vowed today that he would maintain his links with the city.

‘I’ll continue to stand with you,’ he said. ‘Nottingham has my respect, it always has, my commitment, and a permanent place in my heart.’

The Duke said the city had taught him ‘important lessons’ and had ‘truly’ inspired him.

‘I’ve lost count of the number of visits I’ve made here, and the amount of jerk chicken I’ve eaten on almost every occasion on the way back,’ he said to much laughter. ‘It really is banging.’

He added: ‘For nearly 15 years I’ve been working alongside communities to tackle violence impacting young people – particularly knife crime, which remains one of the most urgent issues facing this country. During all that time, Nottingham has been a place where I’ve heard harrowing stories, learned important lessons, seen resilience, and felt truly inspired.’

The Duke first visited CRS and fellow Nottingham-based youth charity Epic Partners, through his work with the Royal Foundation. In the intervening years he has returned to the city at least six times.

In May, he made a ‘significant donation’ to Nottingham-based charity Himmah to fund food parcels for vulnerable families.

He said at the time that the city held ‘a special place in my heart’. It was where he took Meghan for their first joint official engagement in December 2017, when they watched a performance by teenagers from the CRS.

He caused a laugh as he pretended to tie a shoelace for CRS chief executive, Trevor Rose.

The Duke was shown into a recording studio, where he said rapper Paige, 24, gave him goosebumps, but declined an offer to go into the recording booth himself.

He caught up with some of the young people he had met previously and toured the facilities before watching a series of performances

In his speech, he acknowledged that both CRS and Epic Partners were ‘at the heart and beginning’ of his relationship with Nottingham.

‘These aren’t just organisations – they are families,’ he said. ‘They provide safe spaces, role models, and lifelines for young people to belong, create, and imagine a future beyond the challenges around them.’

To the founders and leaders of those charities, he said: ‘The work you’ve built over the years is nothing short of extraordinary, and its impact is felt well beyond these walls.’

However, the Duke acknowledged that the challenges facing such communities ‘remain serious and sadly aren’t getting any easier’.

He said: ‘Violence impacting young people, particularly knife crime, continues to devastate lives, cut futures short, and leave families in grief. I’ve been committed to this work for over a decade, and sadly, the urgency today is even greater than when I first began. We cannot, and must not, and will not look away.’

He added: ‘We know the stark choice facing too many young people: follow their talents rooted in creativity and expression – or be pulled down darker paths that so often knock at their door. By coming together to back these plans, we can honour those talents with facilities that give them every opportunity to thrive, facilities that we know work, and existed before previous government cuts.’

The Duke said he had made a ‘significant investment into the community’ – £1.1 million – to BBC Children in Need in December. A large proportion is expected to go to CRS with the rest distributed to other local causes that support young people impacted by violence.

The Duke urged others to ‘step up’ and work together to instigate change. ‘This isn’t just charity, it’s an investment,’ he added. ‘An investment in futures, in hope, in keeping young people safe. But I know my contribution alone is not enough. Real change requires all of us; government, police, schools, charities, and importantly, businesses, stepping up and working together.

‘Use your influence, your networks, and your resources to back the young people of this city – young people whose creativity, courage, and talent deserve nothing less. There is only good that comes from doing so.’

The Duke was welcomed with cheers when he arrived in Nottingham, having turned up around 45 minutes late to the engagement.

He laughed when a member of the public called out to him ‘Harry, you brought the sunshine with you’, before he greeted the CRS chief executive with a handshake and hug.

Emerging from a black Range Rover in bright sunshine, a smiling and relaxed-looking Harry waved and gave a thumbs-up to supporters who cheered and shouted his name.

There was no police escort for the prince – but well before his arrival, several burly members of a private security team had been manning metal barriers while talking into earpieces.

Workers from The Archewell Foundation, Harry and wife Meghan’s non-profit organisation, were also on hand, marshalling the media ahead of his appearance at the studio.

One of those who came to see the Duke was Margaret Wilson, 66, of Nottingham, who was wearing a purple T-shirt bearing the words, ‘Team Harry lifetime member. Man, myth, legend.’

She said: ‘I have supported him for years, and I supported his mother before that. I felt it was important to show him some support today, with everything that has happened.

‘I will also remember him walking behind Princess Diana’s coffin. He will always be that little boy to me.

‘I think he is very humble guy who is in tune with ordinary people. I really like his WellChild work, I like his Invictus Games work, I like his work with places like this studio here in Nottingham.

‘I just really hope the rift between him and his family can be healed while he is here. Life is too short, and it is unnecessary.

‘I think William needs to reach out and be a bit humble. He needs to be a brother.

‘I read his book and I thought it was very humble. I thought it was ridiculous that he was criticised over it. It is his story, and he is perfectly entitled to tell it.

‘He has been painted as a bad guy, but he’s not bad – he’s honest. Families can be painful. I just hope the King acts as a father, and sees his son while he is here in the UK.’

Maya Smith, 31, of St Ann’s, said: ‘I am glad he got a good welcome, after some negativity around him for the last couple of years.

‘Personally, I really like him, and Meghan. I think it is great that he is only back in the country for a few days, but still finds the time to visit charities like this one, and a long way outside of London too.

‘It is a shame Meghan couldn’t have joined him, but I am not sure she’d have felt welcomed by the Royals. 

‘It will be interesting to see if he meets the King or William. I hope they do, because they were so close, and I always think family splits are so sad.’

Joanne Walker, 44, of Nottingham, added: ‘Whatever people think of Harry, it is pretty amazing he still does stuff like this, when he doesn’t have to.

‘If people don’t like him or Meghan, just don’t follow them. It’s that simple.

‘Charles and William should be the bigger men, and make time to see him while he is over here, instead of thousands of miles away. You never know what is just around the corner so they should make up.

‘I get he probably has a really busy schedule, but if he goes back to Los Angeles without meeting them I think it will be a real shame. Even if they just met for an hour or something and shook hands and asked how each other was doing, it would be a start.’

The Duke last visited the CRS in the St Ann’s area to mark World Mental Health Day in October 2019, just two months before he and Meghan announced they were stepping down as senior working royals and moving to North America.

He is planning to hold a private briefing with Children in Need, the Police and Crime Commission, the CRS and community outreach group Epic Partners in Nottingham, stage informal catch-ups with some of the young people he met before, and watch performances from CRS artists and make a short speech.

The Duke is hoping to bring together key stakeholders, influencers and potential funders to shine a light on the work of grassroots organisations such as CRS and Epic Partners and the sports apprenticeship body Coach Core. 

Coach Core was originally started as a programme by William, Harry and the now-Princess of Wales’s joint Royal Foundation in 2012 to use the power of sport to help change lives and train young apprentices.

It has since become an independent charity. Harry and Meghan broke away from William and Kate’s Royal Foundation in 2019 after rumours of a rift began to circulate.

Meanwhile, William was in London as he visited Spiral Skills, which has received funding from the prince’s homelessness initiative Homewards to move into a new hub for young people at The Oasis Village in Tulse Hill.

The youth organisation was founded in 2015 and works with local schools, youth organisations and authorities to provide early intervention, support, employability skills and access to employment and services for 14 to 25-year-olds, Kensington Palace said.

The Prince visited the organisation at its new space and see how it offers support for those who need it, before attending a workshop with Young Creators UK, a creative agency run and owned by underrepresented young people which receives referrals from Spiral Skills.

During his visit, William said he was making sure his children are learning to play instruments because music is ‘crucial’.

But the heir to the throne turned down the opportunity to play the drums on a visit to a music charity, saying his son Prince Louis would have done if he had been there.

Asked by 16-year-old Django Brooke whether he wanted to play, William laughed and replied: ‘I’m definitely not a drummer. I’m happy to see you do it, if my youngest was here, he’d have a go, because he’s practising at the moment, but I’d love to hear you do it. But thank you for asking.’

William popped into the music studio during a visit to The Oasis Village in Tulse Hill, where he was hearing more about the work of Spiral Skills, a youth organisation in Lambeth, which has expanded its services in the community hub thanks to a grant from his Homewards Fund.

Applauding after hearing Django perform, he said, laughing, ‘And that’s why you play, and I don’t!’

The Prince told the young musicians taking part in a workshop: ‘It’s brilliant you guys have clearly done a lot of practising, well done, that’s not easy doing that in front of everyone – that’s brilliant.

‘You’ve all got amazing rhythm and it sounds fantastic, I wish I started when I was your age.

‘I couldn’t read music so that was biggest weakness, I started off playing piano, trumpet and the drums and then realised I had to memorise every tune and it just fell away.

‘I make sure my children learn music because I love music and it’s crucial, really important.’

Prince George plays guitar, Princess Charlotte plays piano and Prince Louis plays drums.

Symphony Studios founder Seth Pinnock said of William: ‘He said he couldn’t play drums well. He said he had learned drums and learned keyboards but couldn’t read it… But his children are learning to play keys, so hopefully his kids will come here one day and learn.’

Symphony Studios joined the hub last October after former Gospel star Seth spent nine months sofa-surfing after coming out as a gay man.

He said: ‘We lost everything. I had a big charity and I was running around the UK and Europe touring. I came from a pretty conservative Christian background so coming out meant losing quite a bit.

‘I became homeless for about nine months and then this place turned me in. I was able to rebuild the charity here and moved in on-site.

Symphony Studios now serves hundreds of young people with free music tuition each year, despite having lost two-thirds of its funding after Seth came out.

Seth, who now lives in a flat above the Oasis Village’s main building, which was formerly a girls’ school.

He said of the Prince: ‘It’s really important for him to shine a light on quite marginalized communities that need a sense of hope and possibility.’

Earlier, William heard from community changemakers at Spiral Skills, who were formerly helped by the charity and are now trained youth workers supporting young people aged 14-25 at risk of exclusion of homelessness.

Abdoul Ndami told the Prince how he had set up a youth programme at a local branch of McDonald’s after being alerted to young people causing trouble there.

He said: ‘I talked some sense into them, ‘if this was your mum’s house you wouldn’t want people to treat it this way, because a lot of them grew up with just their mum, which made it easier to resonate with them.’

The fast food branch had been on the brink of closing between 3pm and 7pm to prevent youths from hanging around, but Abdoul put together a programme there and created a safe space where young people can go and be fed and offered support.

‘You’re like the fourth emergency service Abdoul,’ said the Prince.

Homewards provided an undisclosed sum to enable Spiral Skills to refurbish areas of the former school – now a multi-agency hub – and expand their services to reach more young people.

During his visit, William paused to look at a photograph of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, who opened the landmark building as school, St Martin’s in the Fields, back in 1999.

He was also shown cameras and other equipment Spiral Skills members can access at the neighbouring youth-owned and run creative agency Young Creators UK.

He was joined by Homewards Advocate and former England footballer Fara Williams and sat with Abdoul and another community Changemaker, Jhemar Jonas, 23, all of whom have lived experience of homelessness.

Speaking afterwards, Williams said of the Prince: ‘Growing up as a young person, seeing the work that his Mum did for different charities was so empowering. And for him to follow in her footsteps and continue the great work, and do it his own way and be supportive, and knowledgeable about all these different areas of homelessness is great.

‘He does have the power, he does have the funding that can help make the changes that we need.’

William also chatted to Chloe Fernandez, a former pupil of the school where the hub is now housed, who was referred from Spiral Skills into YCUK after being made redundant last year.

She said: ‘The future King [is] actually already putting in those little seeds with young people instead of having someone else tell him. And him coming and seeing it himself shows his humanity.’

Harry began his UK visit yesterday by commemorating the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, by laying flowers at her resting place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

While he was remembering the late Queen, William was in the same county less than eight miles away, paying tribute to their grandmother at a Women’s Institute gathering in Sunningdale, an organisation with a close association with Elizabeth. 

William attended along with Kate, in her third engagement in five days after she visited the Natural History Museum’s gardens last Thursday before watching the Red Roses beat Australia 47-7 in their Women’s Rugby World Cup match in Brighton on Saturday. 

Last night, Harry paid tribute to the seriously ill children and young people recognised by the charity WellChild as a ‘beacon of hope and inspiration’ during an awards ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

Senior aides to the King and Harry were pictured together in London this July in what was reported to be an initial step towards opening channels of communication between the two sides.

Harry, who levelled accusations at the King, Queen, William and Kate in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir Spare, told the BBC in May that Charles will not speak to him because of his court battle over his security, and he does not know ‘how much longer my father has’.

But he also outlined his hopes for a ‘reconciliation’ with his family, saying: ‘Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things.’

He added: ‘But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family’ and said there was ‘no point in continuing to fight any more’.

Harry’s level of security changed in 2020 after Megxit.

He was last in the UK in April for a court hearing about his security arrangements, but lost his Court of Appeal challenge in May and said in the TV interview he ‘can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back’.

He failed in his appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK.

Tomorrow, William will visit a new mental health hub at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium run by the Jac Lewis Foundation, a charity based in Ammanford, South West Wales, which was set up in memory of Jac and is backed by the Royal Foundation.