Coronavirus: Prince Harry praises young people's response to COVID-19 crisis
The Duke of Sussex records a supportive video message from his new home in Los Angeles.
Monday 11 May 2020 22:20, UK
Prince Harry has praised young people across Britain for "thriving" in the face of challenges brought by the coronavirus crisis.
The Duke of Sussex recorded a video message for youngsters supported by the London-based charity OnSide, which he is still a patron of despite stepping down as a senior royal earlier this year.
He said in a clip posted on YouTube: "Just a few months ago we were all together in London at the OnSide youth centre awards and wow what a night that was.
"I remember meeting so many incredible people and hearing your stories, stories of strength, of determination, of resilience, but ultimately of courage.
"Hats off to every single one of you for surviving, but also for thriving. These daily challenges that you guys are coming up against are unbelievable. So many people will never understand. You guys have the strength to pull through."
Speaking from his new home in Los Angeles, he said he could "only imagine" what the past six weeks had been like for OnSide members unable to take advantage of the charity's youth clubs and other services during the coronavirus lockdown.
But he assured them that "this too shall pass", adding: "Before you know it, you will be back together again, probably in a Youth Zone running around, having the best time ever."
The video message was posted as OnSide streamed its 2019 awards ceremony in full online for the first time.
The duke has publicly committed to supporting the charity in his new life away from the UK.
It has 12 youth clubs in England, dubbed "Youth Zones", which give young people a place to go to socialise and learn new skills.
Last week, Harry and his wife, Meghan, uploaded a video of their son, Archie, to mark his first birthday.
The clip shows the duchess reading Archie one of his favourite books - "Duck! Rabbit!" - and was posted charity Save The Children's Instagram account to raise money for its coronavirus campaign #SaveWithStories.