The queen's grandson Prince Harry has said he will not attend but is due to go to his Invictus Games for disabled veterans in the Netherlands
The queen's grandson Prince Harry has said he will not attend but is due to go to his Invictus Games for disabled veterans in the Netherlands GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / John Lamparski

KEY POINTS

  • Prince Harry wore a Spider-Man costume in a video message for kids who lost parents who served in the military
  • The prince told the children they don't have to feel guilty about having fun during the holidays
  • Prince Harry donated to the charity Scotty's Little Soldiers during his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018

Prince Harry dressed up as a superhero in a special holiday video message to comfort bereaved military children.

In partnership with Scotty's Little Soldiers, the 38-year-old Duke of Sussex dressed up as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in a video message that was played for the young children who attended the charity organization's annual Christmas party Saturday.

"Christmas is a time when we miss our loved ones really, really badly. And that's OK," Prince Harry said in the recorded video, which the organization also shared via its YouTube channel. "But, at the same time, it can be possible to feel guilty for having fun without our parents."

"I'm here to assure you that our parents always want us to have fun, OK? So don't feel guilty. You're allowed to have the best time ever, especially with the Scotty's Little Soldiers community. So go out there, have the best time," he added, before revealing his face behind the mask and wishing the children a "Merry Christmas."

The Christmas party was attended by 100 children and young people who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces, E! News reported.

At the Heroes and Villains-themed event, Prince Harry told the kids that there were five villains they needed to "stop from ruining Christmas."

The royal then shared some advice on how to "defeat" these villains, telling the children, "Use your teamwork, your brains and your brawn and you do exactly that. Find them, and don't let them ruin Christmas."

Prince Harry, who was 12 when he lost his mother, Princess Diana, is a longtime supporter of Scotty's Little Soldiers. When he married his wife Meghan Markle four years ago, the organization was one of the charities to benefit from donations that the couple requested instead of wedding gifts.

In 2019, Prince Harry dressed up as Father Christmas when he recorded a video for the charity's annual Christmas party.

"It's not the first time Prince Harry has shown us that he's thinking about us and it's good to hear from him again this Christmas," Scotty member Ben O'Donnell said in a press release, according to E! News. "He's gone to a lot of effort which shows he genuinely cares."

The 14-year-old, who was just 9 weeks old when he lost his dad in 2008, added that it was "great" to see Prince Harry in a Spider-Man outfit and joked that the royal could be the next Marvel superhero.

The Duke of Sussex's special holiday message comes days after Netflix dropped the first-look trailer for his and Markle's highly anticipated docuseries, "Harry & Meghan." The six-episode docuseries will explore "the other side" of their love story, which has yet to be revealed to the public.

Prince Harry is also gearing up for the release of his memoir "Spare," which hits shelves on Jan. 10.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - APRIL 17: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the athletics event during the Invictus Games at Zuiderpark on April 17, 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands. Karwai Tang/WireImage