‘I cried so much Prince Harry gave me a hug,’ Stoke-on-Trent mum says

A mother says watching Prince Harry present her daughter with a national award “was a feeling that [she has] never felt before”.

Toni Hynes, from Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, accompanied her daughter Esmée McGlinchey to London on Monday to attend the 2025 WellChild Awards.

The six-year-old, who is non-verbal and non-mobile and has endured 35 major surgeries in her short life, won the Inspiration Child Age 4-6 Award.

“It was very surreal, very, very surreal. It was just amazing, to sum it up. From start to finish, amazing,” Ms Hynes said.

She added: “We loved every moment of it. I was just excited for Esmée to be celebrated.

“She’s celebrated all the time at home, but for a room full of people and across socials and everywhere else to read her story and be inspired by Esmée just as much as we are as a family was just heartwarming.

“We were overwhelmed by all the love Esmée was shown.”

Ms Hynes added: “I’m still at the moment trying to find the words for the feeling I got. I was crying from start to finish, so much so [Prince] Harry gave me a big hug.”

Esmée and her family spent some time with Prince Harry during the awards.

“We had about 10 minutes with [Prince] Harry ourselves, and he wanted to know everything about Esmée, her past and what she’s got coming up in the future,” Ms Hynes said.

“He was talking to Esmée; playing with Esmée, she was playing with his tie. She wanted to touch his beard, so she was playing with his beard, and then it was actually Prince Harry that presented her award that night.”