Stay away from addictive games like Fortnite, Harry tells pupils
What’s wrong with the parents, asks Duke, with a serious message amid the jokes
He has a famous affinity with children, offering high fives wherever he goes and taking any opportunity to play games with his nephews, nieces and godchildren. But the Duke of Sussex has grown up in one respect, as he shares his deep suspicion of video games such as Fortnite.
The Duke, who met schoolchildren in Brighton, told eight-year-olds who questioned him about the game that he did not play it, cautioning them that they should find other ways to spend their time when they are so young.
Sharing his worries about computer games with teachers, he asked, according to his young friends: “What is wrong with parents?”
The computer game, which has tens of millions of players worldwide and an age limit of 12 and over, has been criticised by politicians, schools and even the Church of England for its addictive properties and prototype gambling with in-game currencies.
The Duke shared his concerns during a visit to Sussex, the first time the couple have undertaken an engagement in the county since they were given their title upon marriage.
As they enjoyed a walkabout outside the Royal Pavilion, the Duke and Duchess laughed as Year 4 children from Queen’s Park School showed off their “flossing”, the dance move made famous by the game.
Two boys, Ziad and Eren, both eight, were given a pep talk by the Prince, who crouched down and took them gently by the shoulders as he encouraged them to find other games to play. “He was saying that it’s a concern of his, children playing the game before they are allowed to,” said Emma Johnston, a Year 4 teacher.
“We were saying that, as a school, it’s a concern for us too.”
Speaking afterwards, one Year 4 boy said: “Harry came over and talked to us and Eren asked him about Fortnite.” His classmate, doing an impression for
Some children seemed confused about who their VIP visitors were, asking whether the Duke was the footballer Harry Kane
the television cameras, interjected: “He was like this, ‘What is wrong with parents?’” Another added: “He asked how old we are. We said that we were eight and he said, ‘You guys shouldn’t really play Fortnite’.”
The couple did not only face questions about Fortnite.
“How old are you?” one child asked the Duchess, who played a game of “higher or lower” with them before they got to the correct answer of 37.
“How big is your palace?” asked another, making Harry laugh. “Can we have your phone number?”
Other children seemed confused about who their VIP visitors were, asking whether the Duke was the footballer Harry Kane. The Duke and Duchess also went on a tour of the Royal Pavilion, which is undergoing a process of restoration and has benefited from loans of artefacts directly from the Queen. In a day in which they crossed East and West Sussex, the Duke and Duchess, wearing a camel Armani coat, a dark green Hugo Boss skirt and shirt from & Other Stories and nude suede stilettos, also visited the Survivors’ Network, a charity which helps those affected by sexual assault, and projects about mental health at the Joff Youth Centre in Peacehaven.
Their most formal task saw them open the University of Chichester’s Engineering and Digital Technology Park where, on the fourth floor, the Duke spotted a large tent-like structure from the window, appearing surprised that it was Bognor Regis’s Butlin’s. “What’s that? Oh it’s Butlin’s, I thought it was a massive circus. We’ll have to go,” he said, which quickly saw the Duke and Duchess nicknamed “Their Hi-de-highnesses” by the travelling media.
Among the visitors turning out to see the royal couple in Chichester were 13 children from Westbourne House School who had made by hand for them an A-Z guide to Sussex.
One pupil, 10-year-old Tom Symington, told them that his class were missing lessons to come and see them. “The fact that you got off double Latin because we are here. I think that’s fantastic,” said the Duke, before adding hurriedly: “Although education is important.”