“Their Royal Highnesses have arranged the event as a way to acknowledge and honor the fact that a number of young children have had to come to terms with the loss of someone very close to them at a young age, having lost a parent in armed service to the country,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.
The event, called \"Party at the Palace,\" included games, crafts and a magician to entertain the children. The Royal Foundation, created by William, Kate and Harry, has supported a number of programs for veterans and their families. Recently, the royal trio have been engaged in a high profile mental health campaign encouraging young people to open up -- especially those struggling with bereavement.
“The Duke and Duchess and Prince Harry hope the event will provide an opportunity for these children to broaden their support networks amongst other families with similar experiences,” Kensington Palace wrote.
During the event, Prince Harry, who is famous for his hugs, entertained a young child in a Spider-Man costume while William and Kate made their way around various stations set up at the palace, which included a cake decorating station and a water balloon stop.
The kids were also treated to a concert by the performer Jess Glynne, and several parashooters also landed in the backyard of Buckingham Palace during the event.
In the past few months, William and Harry have opened up about the grief they felt when they lost their mother, Princess Diana, in August 1997. In April Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry released a candid new video for their Heads Together mental health campaign, in which they discuss some of the most personal issues they have faced -- including parenting and coping with Diana's death.
In the video, Kate, 35, and William, 34, parents of Princess Charlotte and Prince George, also opened up about the profound effects of becoming parents, and the challenges they faced in the first few weeks after George was born in 2013.
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