Prince Harry sent his condolences to the family of a teenager who died during the lockdown. The Duke of Sussex met 18-year-old Holly Smallman, the daughter of Hayley and Gary Smallman, in 2015 at the WellChild Awards.
Holly suffered from a number of terminal conditions since birth, such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and lung disease. She reportedly died peacefully in her sleep and her family held the funeral on March 27 with only 10 people in attendance because of the coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
According to People, Holly's family discovered the letter from Prince Harry in the teenager's email. It was among hundreds of unopened messages since she passed away. Prince Harry opened his letter by telling the family that he was very upset to learn of Holly's death.
"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."
Prince Harry also recalled the gift he got from Holly's younger sister several years ago. The royal also addressed Hayley for her continued efforts in supporting WellChild, despite "juggling so many plates" and dealing with the loss of her daughter.
"I imagine words cannot really hope to provide much comfort to you and your family at this most difficult of times," Prince Harry continued in his letter. "But I wanted you to know that you, and your daughter Ruby and son Josh, are all in my thoughts and prayers."
Holly's family told Daily Mail that Prince Harry literally recalled every detail of their personal meeting five years ago. They felt that the duke's genuine concern and they were thankful he took the time to reach out to them even if there is also a lot of things going on in the royal's persona life. They said that Prince Harry's letter gave them huge comfort for their loss, especially in this unusual circumstance because of the pandemic.
The family was told since Holly was an infant that she will likely not survive past her second birthday. Yet she managed to live until 18 despite being on life support.
The Smallmans would have wanted to celebrate Holly's short but meaningful life with extended family, friends and the nurses and doctors that have taken care of her for all of her life. However, they couldn't do the big celebration amid the lockdown orders from the government. Instead, they had a social media event to say goodbye to Holly.
