Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reached out with an emotional letter to the bereaved parents of Holly Smallman, 18, from Liverpool, prior to the terminally-ill teenager passing away last month.
Holly, who had been severely ill since birth, saw Prince Harry in person back in 2015 when her younger sister Ruby bagged the Most Caring Young Person Award at the WellChild Awards. Since 2007, the duke has been acting as a patron for WellChild.
Grieving parents Gary and Hayley Smallman have remarked that coming to terms with the loss has been direr due to the COVID-19 lockdown prohibiting them from seeing family and friends to help them cope.
Upon her death, the bereaved family received a pick-me-up from the former royal, who took the time to send them a personal and saccharine e-mail.
"I feel so fortunate to have met Holly in 2015 when her sister Ruby received a WellChild Award," Prince Harry wrote. "Holly was evidently a very special and happy girl, despite her significant challenges, and she clearly had an extra special relationship with her siblings."
Holly had several inborn complex conditions, including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and chronic lung disease. She departed from this world peacefully during sleep following a cardiac arrest in March 2020.
The Smallman parents were allowed to invite mere 10 people to the funeral.
Other children of the couple are Ruby, 12 and Josh, 21 who have been grappling to come to terms with their family's fatality and who have not been able to surround themselves with loved ones for consolation due to the imposed social distancing.
"It was a great privilege to spend time with you all, particularly Holly, and I can still remember the amazingly creative handmade penguin that Ruby gave me - complete with red hair!" Prince Harry continued.
Meghan Markle's husband saluted her for the inspirational work she has done within his patronage. He acknowledged that Hayley has been an ardent WellChild ambassador and supporter and that he was pleased to run into her on a few occasions. He also lauded her service for other parents taking care of children with complex needs, contributing to lay down programs and campaigns that provide support to such families.
The bereaved mother Hayley responded, "For Prince Harry to find the time to send this email, to know that Holly made that impact on him and that he cares so much, even in all this private turmoil he's going through, just meant the world to us."
Prince Harry also had nothing but praise for both parents despite the circumstances they personally dealt with, calling them "selfless and inspirational."
He added, "I am so grateful to you, as I know many other people and families will be too. Huge respect for juggling so many plates and always being able to put a smile on people's faces.
On March 27, Gary and Hayley laid their daughter to rest in Aintree, Liverpool.
Prince Harry concluded the letter by signing off with "Harry," remarking that "Meghan and I send our deepest and most heartfelt condolences."
