LONDON - 17 September 2026 - The Duke of Sussex renewed his commitment to supporting children injured in conflict today at a special event with long-standing partners Save the Children and Imperial College London.
Hosted at Imperial College London’s I-HUB innovation centre in West London, the initiative convened humanitarians, innovators and philanthropists around a shared mission to improve the care of children with amputation injuries. The partnership aims to provide children with a holistic package of support – from the latest prosthetic technology to physical rehabilitation and long-term mental health provision.
Speaking at the event, Prince Harry said:
“Children should not be exposed to conflict. They should not be losing limbs to blast. But whilst children continue to suffer, I will keep working to ensure they can live life to the full. That’s what this enduring partnership between Archewell Philanthropies, Save the Children and Imperial College London is all about.”
After a panel discussion, the Duke participated in technology demonstrations with companies at the forefront of developing prosthetic solutions designed specifically for children – including a specialised knee joint that can grow with the child, developed at Imperial with funding from Save the Children.
The event also launched new Save the Children analysis, which reveals some 12,000 children - or more than five every day - were killed or injured by landmines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices between 2020 and 2025 [1].
The report highlights how the growing use of drones is changing children's experience of conflict. Drone attacks can kill and injure children directly, while also disrupting the schools, hospitals, homes and humanitarian services they rely on. In Ukraine, drone attacks on schools increased by 358% in 2025 compared with the previous year, forcing many children back into remote learning [2].
Claire Sanford, Conflict and Humanitarian Director at Save the Children UK, said:
“Children are facing a new generation of explosive threats from the air, on the ground, and increasingly enabled by AI. No single organisation can tackle these challenges alone and we’re thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Imperial College London and Archewell Philanthropies, creating solutions centred around the needs of the child.
“But we also need political action. Governments must ensure that the laws and protections designed to keep children safe evolve with changes to warfare. Children’s rights and safety must remain at the centre of decisions about how emerging technologies are developed and used.”
Save the Children is calling on the international community to:
- Stop the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
- Enforce stronger political and military policies to protect children in conflict.
- Invest in victim assistance, research, and rehabilitation for children affected by blast injuries.
- Establish international rules for AI technology that require meaningful human control and prohibit systems that can select and engage people to target without human oversight
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The report draws on evidence from the United Nations, including the UN Secretary-General’s Annual Reports on Children and Armed Conflict, UNICEF, OHCHR and other UN human rights monitoring mechanisms; the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, Explosive Weapons Monitor and Insecurity Insight, as well as Save the Children’s own research and analysis.
- Imperial and Save the Children co-founded the Centre for Paediatric Blast Injury Studies in 2023, bringing together medics, engineers, humanitarians and policymakers to address the unique challenges children face when injured by explosive weapons. The partnership has enabled the development of an affordable prosthetic knee joint designed specifically for the needs of children who’ve suffered amputation injuries.
- In September 2025, Archewell Philanthropies announced a $500,000 donation to support humanitarian causes and injured children in conflict zones like Gaza and Ukraine, including a grant to the Centre for Blast Injuries Studies, which the Duke has visited three times.
Sources:
[1] United Nations, Children and Armed Conflict: Report of the Secretary-General, 2021,2022,2023,2024,2025,2026. Calculation: UN data records 12,053 children killed or injured by explosive ordnance between 2020 and 2025. There are 2,191 days across this six-year period (including the leap year). Dividing 12,053 by 2,191 gives an average of 5.5 children killed or injured every day.
[2] Explosive Weapons Monitor Explosive-Weapons-Monitor-2025.pdf
For more information, please contact
Dan Stewart, Head of Global Impact Communications at Save the Children [email protected]
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