The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Endeavour Fund Awards this evening. The event, held at Mansion House in London, celebrates the achievements of wounded, sick, and injured servicemen and women. Prince Harry launched the Endeavour Fund in 2012 as part of the Royal Foundation’s initiatives.
The couple signed the guest book and met with nominees prior to the ceremony. Nominees shared stories of how sport and competition have aided in their mental, emotional, and physical recoveries.
The ceremony was hosted by JJ Chalmers, the Scottish television presenter, public speaker, and Invictus Games medalist, and also featured remarks by William Russell, the Lord Mayor of London, and David Wiseman, the Royal Foundation’s Head of Armed Forces.
Four awards were given out and include the Recognising Achievement Award, the Celebrating Excellence Award, the Henry Worsley Award, and the brand-new Community Impact Award. This prize, introduced for 2020, is to recognise the team that has contributed the most to their community and used the experience from their endeavour to make a positive impact on those around them.
The evening was full of surprises. Danny Holland, winner of the Recognising Achievement Award, proposed to his girlfriend during his acceptance speech (she said yes!).
She said yes!!
A second enormous congratulations to Danny on his engagement! What an amazing proposal, and what a way to kick off the #EndeavourFundAwards! pic.twitter.com/v2bxaur9lr
— Endeavour Fund (@EndeavourFund) March 5, 2020
The Duchess of Sussex announced the second prizewinner, Lee Spencer, and congratulated his wife Claire, who accepted the award on his behalf. Mr Spencer received the ‘Celebrating Excellence’ for holding four Guinness World Records!
The Community Endeavour Award was presented to Superhero Tri, a partner organisation that hosts a series of fun family events including rowing, climbing walls, paddle-boarding, and various displays designed to keep families entertained.
The Duke of Sussex presented the final award of the evening, the Henry Worsley Award. Mr Worsley lost his life while trying to cross the Antarctic solo. Mr Chalmers explained the award is to keep Worsley’s “memory and pioneering spirit alive.”
Max Worsley, Henry’s son, joined the Duke in making the presentation to Tom Oates. Mr Oates founded DepTherapy, which uses scuba diving to aid in rehabilitation and recovery.
The Duke delivered moving and personal closing remarks. He praised the nominees and their families, the Endeavour Fund staff, and hinted at the possibility of closer collaboration between Endeavour and the Invictus Games Foundation.
He closed by saying “A lot of you have told me tonight you have my back; well, I’m also here to tell you I’ve always got yours.”