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Prince Harry leaves scandal behind at UK awards dinner

Posted at 9:07 PM, Sep 03, 2012
and last updated 2012-09-03 21:07:02-04

LONDON (CNN) — Britain’s Prince Harry made no mention of his recent Las Vegas shenanigans when he spoke at a charity awards dinner in London on Monday. At least, not directly.

The 27-year-old prince spoke at the annual awards gala of the British charity WellChild, which helps seriously ill children and their families throughout the United Kingdom.

Harry, who is patron of the charity, said he is always humbled by the inspirational stories of the winners and finds it difficult to describe how remarkable they are.

“But never one to be shy in coming forward, I give it a go,” Harry said.

After a few nervous giggles in the audience, Harry laughed, and the whole room then laughed with him.

It was nearly two weeks ago that pictures emerged of the prince partying naked in a Las Vegas hotel suite. First published on celebrity gossip website TMZ, the pictures soon made their way to newspapers and news sites around the world.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the photos were of the prince and said they were taken while he was on a private holiday before resuming his military duties. He is a captain in the British Army.

Harry knows he is no stranger to controversy, having landed in hot water with scandals in the past. But Monday night he was back to the business of being a royal, wearing a crisp blue suit, listening intently to the speeches on stage and being gracious to the hosts and honorees.

There was one joke at Harry’s expense that appeared to go unnoticed, however: As Harry presented awards to two of the charity’s “Most Inspirational” children, the loudspeakers played the song “The Bare Necessities” from Disney’s “The Jungle Book.”