'I'm in the middle of a conversation': Prince Harry snubs aide who tried to hurry him as he spoke to war widow
Prince Harry is known to be passionate about many causes that he holds dear to him and this is why he wasn't very impressed with his royal aides tried to cut his conversation with a war veteran's widow short.
The Duke of Sussex took part in the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb that took place on October 19 on Day 4 of his and Duchess Meghan Markle's Australian leg of the international tour. He was joined by three representatives of Team Australia at the Invictus Games and the group included Gwen Cherne, the Invictus ambassador whose husband committed suicide this February after having served in Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The Duke has been open about his own struggles with mental health after he lost his mother Princess Diana to a terrible car crash at the age of 12. He founded the Invictus Games so that it would provide support to sick and wounded servicemen. He was caught in a heartwarming picture warmly embracing the mother-of-three with whom he was talking about "grief and loss", reported the Daily Mail.
Since the image was taken, Gwen has said that the royal aides tried to get Prince Harry to move along faster as they were talking but he just simply told them: "I'm in the middle of a conversation". The Duke was clearly not impressed with his aides when they tried to hurry him along and insisted on staying right there talking to Gwen.
She told PEOPLE magazine: "He stopped and said, 'I’m in the middle of a conversation, and I’m not going to leave this'. We were talking about my story and mental health and how difficult it is still, in our society, to talk about grief and loss and suicide. And how important things like the Invictus Games are to shed light on the issues and allow people to start to have these conversations that are great to have."
The emotional conversation definitely meant a great deal to Gwen who said that Harry and Meghan are trying to promote optimism. She said: "I think they (Harry and Meghan) provide this beacon of hope and light for so many. They're touching, they're shining that interest on the Games, and that shines light on their service and that shines light on the sacrifices their families make. I was humbled by the opportunity to spend that time with him and grateful for all he is doing given his place in the world."
The royal couple touched down on in Fiji on October 23 for the second leg of their international tour. The young couple, who are expecting their first child together next Spring, had a packed day when they arrived as they met the President of Fiji, enjoyed a traditional welcome ceremony at Albert Park, and then attended a reception at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
Visibly pregnant Meghan's schedule for Australia had to be dialed down on October 21 and 22 but, according to media reports, she will be with her husband for all of the planned official engagements in Fiji and Tonga. The Duchess will be visiting the Pacific Island countries even though there is the fear that the Zika virus is rampant.
This was in spite of the fact that a travel advisory was issued saying pregnant women are at "moderate risk" of catching it. Kensington Palace has said that the couple has already sought out medical advice and the royal couple decided to continue with their plans without any further changes to their itinerary.