Harry makes personal donation of £1.1m to Children in Need

The Duke of Sussex has personally donated £1.1 million to BBC Children in Need to support young people affected by violence.

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

The duke is on a rare four-day trip to the UK, carrying out a string of solo charity visits, but has yet to be reunited with his father the King or his brother the Prince of Wales.

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 Community Recording Studio in 2013 and was deeply inspired by the teenagers involved and their mentors.

The duke has since returned on multiple occasions, both privately and on official royal engagements, most recently in 2019.

Harry 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.”

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 due 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.

He praised the work of the CRS and community outreach group Epic Partners, but acknowledged that the challenges facing such communities “remain serious and sadly aren’t getting any easier”.

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.”

The duke 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.”

He sparked laughter as he pretended to tie a shoelace for CRS chief executive, Trevor Rose, outside as he arrived.

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.

Harry posed for selfies with fans and waved at the crowd at the end of his visit and hugged the organisers of the charity.

On Monday, he marked the third anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death by privately laying flowers at her grave in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, but he remained apart from his brother William from whom he is estranged, with the prince just seven miles away visiting a WI branch in his grandmother’s honour.

While the duke was in Nottingham, William was carrying out an engagement in Lambeth, south London, at youth organisation Spiral Skills.

Harry has told how his father Charles will not speak to him because of his court battle over his security, and he has not seen the King face to face for more than 18 months.

The duke’s donation to the BBC’s charity will support grassroots organisations, primarily in Nottingham, working to help youngsters impacted by violence.

He held a private briefing with Children in Need, the Police and Crime Commission, the CRS and Epic Partners and watched performances from CRS artists.

The duke said: “The incredible work being done by grassroots organisations like CRS and Epic Partners is not only inspiring – it’s essential.

“We’re grateful for the support of BBC Children in Need in helping change-makers in the city continue their mission to create safe spaces, build trust, and offer hope and belonging to young people who need it most.”

Tony Okotie, director of impact at BBC Children in Need, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Duke of Sussex for this generous donation.

“Youth work is a lifeline for many young people. It makes up around 30% of the projects that we support at BBC Children in Need.

“So this funding will help us reach even more communities where young people are ready to be heard and supported. Together, we can create spaces where young people feel safe, heard and empowered to build brighter futures.”

A spokesman for the duke confirmed the donation was from Harry personally, rather than his Archewell charity.

Harry’s personal money comes from a variety of sources.

The Sussexes signed a lucrative Netflix deal rumoured to be worth more than £100 million five years ago, and last month revealed a new watered-down multi-year contract with the streaming giant for film and television projects.

The duke is also chief impact officer at mental health firm Better Up, and he previously had a major deal with Spotify,  and inherited nearly £7 million from his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

He also had an inheritance from the Queen Mother in 2002, and is likely to have received one from both his grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, in more recent years.

Harry told Oprah in 2021 that his family “literally cut me off financially” in the first quarter of 2020 and he went for the Netflix and Spotify deals to pay for his security.

BBC Children in Need is contributing an additional £300,000 to the organisations working to empower young people affected by violence.