Harry urges others to ‘step up’ as he donates £1.1 million to Children in Need

The Duke of Sussex has hailed his £1.1 million personal donation to support young people affected by youth violence as an “investment in futures” and urged others to step up.

Harry spent his second day in the UK highlighting the issue of knife crime in Nottingham, help for the next generation and his love of “banging” jerk chicken – as speculation grew about whether he would see his father the King.

Charles is rumoured to be returning to London from Balmoral this week, raising the possibility of a meeting with his son who is carrying out a string of events over four days during a rare trip back to the UK.

Harry announced his gift to BBC Children in Need, which has come from his own money rather than his Archewell Foundation, during a visit to the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham.

He told invited guests in a speech: “This isn’t just charity, it’s an investment.”

The duke 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.”

The duke’s visit has re-ignited commentary about the state of his relationship with senior members of the royal family.

He remains estranged from his elder brother the Prince of Wales who was in London promoting his Homewards project, an initiative that aims to find a blueprint to ending homelessness, with no prospect of the two meeting.

And Harry last saw his father in 2024 when he flew thousands of miles from his California home to be at the King’s side, a move that showed both sides were willing to put their stained relationship aside.

A spokesman for the duke confirmed the donation was from Harry personally, rather than his Archewell charity. A large proportion is expected to go to the CRS with the rest distributed to other local causes that support young people affected by violence.

The duke’s personal money comes from a variety of sources – £7 million from his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, he is chief impact officer at mental health firm Better Up and he has signed major deals with Netflix and Spotify in the past.

Despite relocating to California, more than 5,000 miles away, and giving up his role as a working royal, Harry vowed to maintain his links with Nottingham.

“I’ll continue to stand with you,” he said in a speech at the event.

“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 first visited the CRS in 2013 and was deeply inspired by the teenagers involved and their mentors and has returned a number of times, both privately and on official royal engagements, most recently in 2019.

Harry 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.”

During the studio visit on Tuesday Harry, known for his lack of formality, hugged 24-year-old rapper Paige, a service user turned mentor, whose performance in the recording booth gave him “goosebumps”, but he declined an offer to step behind the microphone.

He also became excited when he met a group of mentors who had managed to escape a life of crime and violence and were now using their experiences to help others.

“That’s the most important thing,” he told them. “I’m really proud of you, especially those who give so much time.”

Harry was 45 minutes late arriving at the recording studio in the St Ann’s area of the city in a single black Range Rover after getting caught in London traffic thanks to the Tube strikes.

The duke, who stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020, does not carry out official royal duties on behalf of the monarchy and no longer benefits from blue-light police escorts which would have whisked him through the travel chaos.