Prince Harry, during a visit to Imperial College London’s White City Campus, announced a $150,000 donation from The Archewell Foundation to support the university’s Centre for Injury Studies. The funding will aid the Centre’s work developing prostheses for children injured in conflict zones, including Ukraine and Gaza, and help improve treatments for child amputees and other trauma victims.
The Duke toured the Centre alongside WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and was guided by British Paralympic athlete Dr. David Henson, Imperial President Professor Hugh Brady, and Save the Children’s Alison Griffin. They received updates on the Centre’s research, which now focuses on paediatric blast injuries and has expanded to cover civilians and traumatic injuries beyond military personnel.
Researchers demonstrated pioneering work, including the development of child-specific prosthetics, innovative surgical testing methods, and rehabilitation tools. PhD students showed how interactive toolkits and games are being used to help children share their experiences and guide prosthetic design. The Centre also features a gait lab using virtual environments to assess how prosthetics impact movement patterns.
Imperial’s President, Professor Brady, highlighted the significance of the Centre’s research in conflict and disaster zones, noting the partnership with Save the Children and the support from The Archewell Foundation as vital to improving outcomes for child blast injury survivors.
In addition to the donation, Prince Harry announced grants to WHO for medical evacuations from Gaza and to Save the Children to provide ongoing humanitarian support. The visit included roundtable discussions on mental health and medical evacuation for children affected by conflict.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros praised the collaboration between Imperial, Save the Children, and Prince Harry, emphasizing the importance of addressing the physical and mental impact of conflict on children while highlighting the role of research and innovation in improving recovery.
The Centre’s Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership with Save the Children focuses on treating child-specific injuries caused by explosive weapons. Children face higher mortality rates and unique injury patterns compared to adults, necessitating specialized care tailored to their physiology and growth. Previous visits by figures such as Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska and Akshata Murty have underscored the global attention and support for this vital research.
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