Prince Harry is already in New York! He was in California on Friday evening, attending and speaking at Kevin Costner’s fundraiser-concert in Carpinteria. Then on Saturday, Harry arrived in New York. We do not have access to any of the photos, but on Saturday evening, he attended the WHO dinner in New York, ahead of the start of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week He met with Queen Mathilde of Belgium and other dignitaries and advocates for ending violence against children. You can read more about the event and the cause here. Additionally, the Telegraph had a preview of two of Harry’s events in NYC this week. He plans to highlight his work with The Diana Award and the HALO Trust.
When he was 18, the Duke of Sussex vowed to finish the work started by his mother, Princess Diana. More than two decades on, he remains true to his word. On Monday, he will take to the stage before a global audience to champion two causes intrinsically linked to her legacy: landmines and young people.
Prince Harry, 40, will be the star guest at five high-profile events held over two days in New York during UN General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week, which will also see him focus on conservation, sustainable travel and the many crises facing the tiny African country of Lesotho. But it will be his first two appearances that honour that birthday pledge; when he steps out on behalf of the Diana Award, which works to create positive change for young people, and the Halo Trust, the charity for which the late Princess famously issued a clarion call for action by walking through an Angolan minefield in 1997.
Tessy Ojo, the chief executive of the Diana Award, hailed the Duke’s continuing support as “truly priceless”, while the Halo Trust said that in a time of “unprecedented conflict” the Duke’s voice was needed “more than ever”.
The appearances will come amid a flurry of activity for the Duke, marking something of a shift in his public profile as he takes centre stage, solo, to further his own charitable causes. Travelling without the Duchess of Sussex, he will undertake a busy schedule somewhat evocative of his days as a working royal, with back-to-back charity engagements in place of glitzy award ceremonies and television interviews.
When he steps out at the Sheraton Hotel in Times Square on Monday morning, he may well cast his mind back to that pledge [to make his mother proud]. The Duke’s first engagement of the week will be on behalf of the Diana Award, a charity set up to reflect the late Princess’s belief that young people can change the world – and the only one to bear her name. He will take part in a panel discussion with Christina Williams and Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, two young recipients of the Diana Award, and Dr Ojo on the current mental health crisis engulfing young people.
The event coincides with the award’s 25th anniversary celebrations, and Dr Ojo said that the continuing support of both the Duke and the Prince of Wales was critical.
“It’s incredibly helpful to have people in positions of power, especially a non-political position, and especially in a system when young people are feeling more and more unheard and unseen, speak up for us,” she said. “To have people who have that platform, who have that power, not only to listen to young people but help amplify their voices, is truly priceless and we are deeply honoured and grateful to have both of them involved in our work, lending their voices to the challenges that young people face.”
There were equally supportive quotes from The HALO Trust people, basically that Harry is the real deal and he’s absolutely continuing his mother’s important work on landmines. This week is a very big deal for Harry – going solo to all of these significant events, highlighting his causes and speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative too. I hope we get a lot of photos!
Prince Harry at the WHO Dinner at the start of UN Week. pic.twitter.com/TIg3dL7JBT
— Dr. Zanye Omobolanle (@bookedbusy) September 23, 2024
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.