The video chat, which is believed to have taken place last weekend, showed the prince speaking with families supported by children’s charity WellChild which has has been a patron of since 2007. He spoke with two parents, a specially-trained nurse and the head of WellChild, to find out how they were coping amid the current pandemic.
The Duke said: “There’s a lot of positives that are happening at the same time and being able to have family time, so much family time that you almost think, ‘Do I feel guilty for having so much family time?’
“You’ve got to celebrate those moments where you are just on the floor rolling around in hysterics.
“Inevitably, half an hour later, maybe a day later, there’s going to be something that you have to deal with and there’s no way you can run away from it.”
Harry, who has been a patron of WellChild for more than a decade, said, “It’s very nice to see the familiar faces on here.”
Leanne Cooper has a 13-year-old daughter Sophie who has cerebral palsy, dystonia and scoliosis, explained how “scary” the current situation is.
Ms Cooper said: “She [Sophie] does need a high level of care and we need to give her that.
“The virus aside, that doesn’t stop, we still have to give that volume of care, 24/7.
“Now, with the virus, on top of everything else, with us in isolation and lockdown, I can’t even put into words just how scary a time it is.
“There is a lot of information out there but not a lot for vulnerable families and certainly not for children with complex medical needs.
“If we’re in a position where carers can’t come to work because they might be symptomatic, there is no way we would survive.”
Craig Hatch cares for his 21-year-old son Fraser, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, neuromuscular scoliosis, osteoporosis, chronic lung disorder and Type 1 diabetes.
He said: “It’s scary.
“We are frightened because we know if the virus gets in our house, if Fraser contracts the virus, then we know the implications of that are quite severe and we also don’t know how we would cope with any hospital admission.
“We are getting all the supplies in that we need to get but we’re always worried that they’re going to run out, we’re not going to get the prescriptions that we need.”
Harry praised the families, calling them “super-parents” for their “strength” during these tough times.
“The resilience and the strength that you guys have is absolutely incredible.” he said.
“You must never, ever, ever, ever forget that. Of course, there are going to be hard days – I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you guys.”
“Having one kid at 11 months old is enough!” Harry said of his young son Archie, who will be turning 1 in May.
WellChild Chief Executive Colin Dyer, who was part of the conversation said: “A lot of families are finding it difficult getting themselves included on ‘vulnerable’ lists.
“These families are always isolated and hidden.
“Now they are more isolated and more hidden than ever before.
“Getting recognition that they are among the most vulnerable people that we’ve got in this country is really tough because the focus just doesn’t seem to be on families like this.”