Mother who joined Prince Harry for a video call this weekend talks about chat

The mother of a severely disabled teenage girl who had a video chat with Prince Harry during the coronavirus lockdown has said it was ‘lovely to feel listened to’ when vulnerable families like hers are being ‘forgotten’ by the Government.

Leanne Cooper, 37, from Lincoln, cares full-time for her daughter Sophie, 13, who has Cerebral palsy, epilepsy, dystonia, scoliosis and other complex needs. 

She logged into a Zoom call with the Duke of Sussex, 35, over the Easter weekend who spoke to her, another family, and a respiratory nurse from his Los Angeles mansion about the challenges they are facing. 

During the chat, Prince Harry took a swipe at the UK government, saying he hoped that the call would make it ‘clear and obvious’ that the families he was speaking to were ‘in the vulnerable bracket’.

Speaking to MailOnline after the Zoom chat, Mrs Cooper, who has met the Prince three times through her charity work, said: ‘It was really lovely. A lot of the time it feels like a constant battle. 

Leanne Cooper, 37, from Lincoln, cares full-time for her daughter Sophie, 13, who has Cerebral palsy, epilepsy, dystonia, scoliosis and other complex needs. Here Leanne and Cooper are pictured with Prince Harry on a previous occasion

She logged into a Zoom call with the Duke of Sussex, 35, over the Easter weekend who spoke to her, another family, and a respiratory nurse from his Los Angeles mansion about the challenges they are facing

She logged into a Zoom call with the Duke of Sussex, 35, over the Easter weekend who spoke to her, another family, and a respiratory nurse from his Los Angeles mansion about the challenges they are facing

‘He was really intently listening. It was so lovely to be recognised, because we fell like we’re forgotten sometimes.

Mrs Cooper, her husband Craig, 40, Sophie’s twin sister Erica, 13, and her other daughter Kyla, 12, have a team of three carers visiting their home seven days a week.

They have been ‘shielding’ for 47 days – from well before the Government lockdown on March 23 –  because the ‘complications would be horrific’ if Sophie or anyone in the family caught COVID-19.                                      

Sophie’s medical needs are so complex that she has to have a carer with her through the night, to give her medication, ventilation or suction to make sure her airways are clear. 

The Cooper family hire private carers, but they are partly subsidized by government funds. 

Mrs Cooper is having to provide her carers with their own personal protective equipment (PPE) as they are not supplied by an agency or through the NHS.

She said: ‘I know the demand for PPE is high. But it only seems to be for hospitals and care homes. 

‘We give them gloves, aprons and masks when they come in, but they won’t last forever – when they run out they run out.

‘The carers we have are fantastic, but I have been challenging the issue of PPE for them for ages now, with the local council and elsewhere.’ 

Mrs Cooper (pictured here with Sophie), her husband Craig, 40, Sophie's twin sister Erica, 13, and her other daughter Kyla, 12, have a team of three carers visiting their home seven days a week.

Mrs Cooper (pictured here with Sophie), her husband Craig, 40, Sophie’s twin sister Erica, 13, and her other daughter Kyla, 12, have a team of three carers visiting their home seven days a week.

Mrs Cooper also hit out at the lack of information for vulnerable families like hers. 

She told Prince Harry on the Zoom call: ‘There is a lot of information out there, but not a lot for vulnerable families and certainly not for children with complex medical needs.  

‘If we’re in a position where carers can’t come to work because they might be symptomatic, there is no way we would survive when Sophie needs care seven nights a week, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. It is terrifying.’

Sophie’s multiple conditions means she is unable to walk, talk or feed herself.  

The 13-year-old usually goes to a special school three days a week where she has a ‘lovely group of friends’. 

But being at home is proving hard, with her mother saying: ‘She’s very sociable, so being away from her friends is hard.

‘We’re doing lots of Zooming and telling stories. She has some mobility in her left arm so she loves painting and baking.’   

She told the Duke, who is self-isolating with his wife Meghan, 38, and their 11-month-old son Archie in a mansion in Los Angeles, she and other families are struggling to get on the government’s ‘vulnerable lists’ for priority food deliveries.

He called on ministers to better support families like Sophie’s, saying: ‘Hopefully through this video and other things we will make it clear and obvious to the Government and everybody else that you guys are in the vulnerable bracket.’ 

But this weekend’s video call is not the first time the Coopers have been in touch with royalty. 

The Coopers met Prince Harry nine years ago after family and friends nominated Sophie for a bravery award through the charity WellChild, which he is a patron of.

Despite hundreds of other applications, Sophie won and went with her mother to a luxury London hotel to be presented with her award in the summer of 2011. 

Mrs Cooper recalled: ‘It was a lovely evening. We had a private reception with Prince Harry and all the other winners before the ceremony. That was a really special, lovely memory.

‘She knew who he was straight away. He was so down to earth, you could see he was so passionate. He bent down to Sophie’s level to talk to her.

‘Before he talked to Sophie he turned to me and said ‘she doesn’t know who I am’, but I said she did and I think he was quite taken aback.’ 

Mrs Cooper soon became heavily involved with WellChild and wanted to get involved in the Zoom call with the Prince to raise awareness of the challenges they are facing.

She said: ‘All the families we know through WellChild are quite anxious and frightened.

The Coopers met Prince Harry nine years ago after family and friends nominated Sophie for a bravery award through the charity WellChild, which he is a patron of

The Coopers met Prince Harry nine years ago after family and friends nominated Sophie for a bravery award through the charity WellChild, which he is a patron of

‘A few weeks ago they asked if I would be free to do a video chat with Craig and Rachel and they said the Duke might call in because he was keen to have an understanding of the challenges we face and to raise awareness.’

The family met Prince Harry for a second time in 2015 when they attended a BAFTA event sponsored by WellChild and other children’s charity.

Mrs Cooper said: ‘Harry came and sat on our table and he recognised Sophie straight away. 

‘It was a launch event for the Shaun the Sheep film and everyone was making models of him, so he helped make our own Shaun the Sheep model and Sophie still has it.’ 

The mother-of-three met Harry a third time when she went to Buckingham Palace as part of her #notanursebut campaign with WellChild.

Harry heaped praise on both parents on the video call, as well as WellChild respiratory nurse Rachel Gregory, who supports children and young people who require long term ventilation across Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire. 

He told the parents: ‘The resilience and strength that you guys have is absolutely incredible. And you must never ever forget that.

‘And of course there are going to be hard days, I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it is for you guys, having one kid, an 11-month-old, is enough.

‘So, to see what you guys are going through on a day-to-day basis honestly so much respect to every single one of you. You are a shining example of just being super parents.’ 

Mrs Cooper’s message comes after she appeared on This Morning today.

She told presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford how she’s met Prince Harry ‘quite a few times and he’s lovely’. 

A mother who joined Prince Harry on a video call over the weekend has revealed how the chat 'came at just the right time' to lift spirits during lockdown and how he 'always remembers her daughter Sophie' (pictured together)

A mother who joined Prince Harry on a video call over the weekend has revealed how the chat ‘came at just the right time’ to lift spirits during lockdown and how he ‘always remembers her daughter Sophie’ (pictured together)

Speaking on the ITV show, Leanne said: ‘We’ve met Prince Harry quite a few times now and he’s always been so supportive. What’s really, really lovely is that he always remembers Sophie, that’s really special.

She added: ‘Because of the level of care that’s needed to make sure Sophie thrives at home, there is a lot of things that go on behind closed doors to help care for her and are actually not often recognised. 

‘It’s not often really appreciated… so actually the call from Prince Harry on the weekend, especially at lockdown, just came at the right time. It was really lovely.’

Sophie was seen beaming a she recalled her chat with Prince Harry, according to her mother. 

Leanne Cooper, from Lincoln, (pictured) spoke to Prince Harry about her daughter Sophie, 13, who lives with cerebral palsy, dystonia, scoliosis and other complex care needs

Leanne Cooper, from Lincoln, (pictured) spoke to Prince Harry about her daughter Sophie, 13, who lives with cerebral palsy, dystonia, scoliosis and other complex care needs

The Duke, who has been Patron of WellChild for more than 10 years, also asked about how the charity, which is totally reliant on voluntary funding, was coping following income lost through the cancellation, or postponement of key fundraising events and activities.

WellChild CEO Colin Dyer said: ‘On the one hand, WellChild and lots of other charities are in the middle of trying to adapt to help the very people we are here to help, but on the other hand we are in survival mode. 

‘We are trying to make sure that we can access as much funding as we can so that on the other side of this, we are still here, because families will need us more than ever.’ 

WellChild nurse Rachel Gregory (pictured) told Harry about speaking to patients remotely instead of at their homes during the pandemic. She also appeared on This Morning today

WellChild nurse Rachel Gregory (pictured) told Harry about speaking to patients remotely instead of at their homes during the pandemic. She also appeared on This Morning today

The Duke described the coronavirus lockdown as ‘certainly strange times’, adding: ‘Everyone is experiencing the same thing in a very unique way. The longer this goes on for certainly the harder it is for every one of you.’ 

Not wanting to ’cause too much chaos’, Harry asked Leanne and another father on the chat, Craig if their children were happy to appear on camera. 

Sophie and Craig’s son Fraser were soon on screen with Harry waving at them enthusiastically. 

On the call, Harry told families he ‘felt almost guilty’ about how much family time he was having and ‘one kid’ was ‘enough’ for him to handle while being stuck at home.