Prince Harry claimed to have never eaten a Doner kebab when he was questioned about his eating habits by a nine-year-old boy.

Marni Ahmed, who suffers from a rare skin condition, asked the cheeky question when he met the Prince at the annual WellChild Awards on Monday evening.

Harry, who is a patron of the charity, was meeting the young winners of the Inspirational Child award at a pre-ceremony reception at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in central London.

The event is to recognise the courage of children living with serious illness and the medical professionals who care for them.

Marni, who will need intensive and painful treatment to treat his Harlequin’s Ichthyosis for the rest of his life, revealed he had asked the Prince the “very funny” question, “have you had a Doner kebab?”

The boy’s mother, Gulzeab, who had travelled with her son from their home in Leeds, said the Prince said: “No, but my friends have.”

Marni said he also asked Harry what he had for breakfast following a dare from WellChild ambassador, Gaby Roslin.

“He said, ‘bacon and sausage sandwich,” Marni said.

But not all the children were as confident with the Prince, who became Patron of WellChild in 2007.

Erin Cross, seven, hid behind a chair when Harry approached, but she was soon laughing and joking after the Prince managed to coax her out.

The little girl, who has been fighting leukaemia for nearly five years, gave Harry a framed drawing, and he told her: “Love it.”

Katie Ward, 10, was born with a condition causing short stature and was later paralysed below the rib-cage following spinal surgery.

The keen swimmer, who has her own YouTube channel, said she was happy to meet Harry, adding: “He said it was amazing I could swim 100 metres.”

Finley Green, who is tube-fed and has a number of serious conditions, including a cyst on his brain, was playing with a balloon animal when he met the Prince.

“He said if it pops, I will get you a new one,” said the seven-year-old.

His mother, Jennifer, described Harry as “really lovely”, adding: “I think the fact he was getting on the floor and speaking to the children speaks volumes.”

Harry will present the Award for Most Inspirational Child, aged four to six, and deliver a short speech at the WellChild event.

WellChild is the national charity for seriously ill children and their families and through its nationwide network of WellChild Nurses, home makeover projects and family support programmes, gives the youngsters the best chance to thrive at home, together with their families.