Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen hugging and comforting young cancer patients and their families during an emotional outing in Jordan.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the King Hussein Cancer Centre. And Meghan rushed to console a distressed mother from Gaza, holding her hands and consoling her as the mother spoke about her son’s fight with leukaemia.
The duchess met Huda Ramadan Alrhawjara and hugged her as she explained that her son, Mohammed, had suffered a recurrence of leukaemia during the conflict between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
Ms Alrhawjara told Meghan: “It doesn't matter if it takes four years, what matters is to have him healthy.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent time with children suffering from cancer in Jordan
|WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
The mother and son were part of a group of young Palestinians from Gaza being treated at the centre.
She later said: “'I'm really happy that the prince and his wife are really on the side of the families, and that they came to hear our stories, it shows their humanity.”
The Sussexes met young patients in a play area designed to put the children at ease during the treatment.
Harry formed a friendship with Sham, a teenager from Syria, who was awaiting chemotherapy for leukaemia later that day.
The pair bonded over her English skills, which she learnt through a relative watching films and Peppa Pig.
She went on to perform a short piano piece for the royal couple, and both hugged Sham before moving on.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited the King Hussein Cancer Centre
|WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
After meeting Meghan and Harry, she said: “He's really nice, I've heard about him, but I never thought I would meet him.”
The visit was the last engagement of a two-day tour of Jordan, which the British Government has sought to distance itself from after revelations that the couple attended an event at the British Ambassador’s residence in Amman.
Officials at the Foreign Office have refused to provide any comment regarding the two-day Middle Eastern trip.
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Sources familiar with the visit have clarified that Ambassador Phillip Hall did not extend a direct invitation to Harry and Meghan for the Iftar reception, which marks the evening meal breaking the Ramadan fast.
The Sussexes had announced in their own press statement they "joined World Health Organisation officials and Embassy staff at the British Ambassador's residence for Iftar as day one closed with a renewed sense of urgency and resolve".
It is understood the invitation to the Ambassador's reception had actually been extended to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization's Director-General, who subsequently brought the duke and duchess along as his personal guests.
The British Government has sought to distance itself from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent visit to Jordan
| PAA source with knowledge of the arrangements has maintained that the British Government played no role in organising or supporting the Sussexes' trip, emphasising their status as "private citizens".
One royal insider described the couple's appearance at the diplomatic reception as an "intriguing" element of their Jordan visit.
The source noted: "Once again, British diplomats are involved."
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