Royals

Long Live the Toddler Who Stole Prince Harry’s Popcorn

The wee tot stole the royal corn.
Prince Harry with Hayley Henson wife of British Paralympian Dave Henson and their twoyearold daughter Emily who is...
Prince Harry with Hayley Henson, wife of British Paralympian Dave Henson and their two-year-old daughter Emily, who is eating Prince Harry’s popcorn.By Karwai Tang/Getty Images.

Prince Harry is in Toronto at the Invictus Games, the Paralympic sports tournament that the royal started. You probably already know that, since the event became the first official public appearance for him and girlfriend Meghan Markle. But we’re here to talk about another woman, or really girl, since she is two years old. In a clip from the stands of the games, Hayley Henson, wife of the original U.K. Invictus Games team captain, Dave Henson, sits next to Harry, and in her lap is her daughter, Emily. Em has a great angle on the prince’s snack of choice. The towheaded tot reaches into the bag of popcorn that Harry is eating, and Harry keeps chatting with the man to his left. Harry eventually catches Emily in the act and makes a series of funny faces.

That’s it. Just a cute thing that a small girl did. A funniest home video escaped from the home. Just the prince and his wee popcorn pilferer. Just a poppet and her popcorn prince. Just a short something to replay when you have a deadline but can’t quite get into gear, or a ray of light in the festering abscess of modernity.

Maybe it’s useful, too. Like a kind of litmus test? If you saw the clip and said, “That’s a cheeky one, innit?” then congratulations: you are British. If you saw it and sighed, “Wow, Prince Harry is going to make a great dad someday,” then congratulations: you’re in the right place.