Prince Harry greeted Ellie Simmonds with a hug at a Buckingham Palace reception last night (18.10.16).
The 32-year-old royal got down on one knee and gave the Paralympic swimmer a warm embrace before having a chat with her at the event to celebrate the success of the ParalympicsGB and Team GB medallists from Rio 2016.
She said afterwards: "It was the first time I’d met Harry and he gave me a hug. I must have mentioned to someone I was really looking forward to meeting him and he just hugged me.’
"It’s great to come to the Palace which is incredible and to be honoured by the Olympics and Paralympics – it’s amazing."
In Brazil, Ellie won gold to add to the two she took home at the London 2012 Games.
Several royals including Duchess Catherine, Prince William and Queen Elizabeth were all in attendance to thank the Olympians and Paralympians for their outstanding efforts over the summer.
Show-jumper Nick Skelton was also at the spectacle and admitted the event made him "proud to be British".
He said: "It makes you so proud to be British. Only Britain would do all of this for its medal winners.
"It’s wonderful with the support of lottery funding and people in general. It’s been a fantastic 24 hours."
Team GB finished in second position in the Rio 2016 table with 67 medals to their name, including 27 golds.
ParalympicsGB also finished second in the standings after amassing an incredible 147 medals, 64 of them gold.
Prince Harry hugs Ellie Simmonds
