Prince Harry honored his late mom, Princess Diana, as he stepped out for the first time in public since claiming his father, King Charles III, won’t speak to him.
On Tuesday, May 6, the Duke of Sussex, 40, took part in a panel discussion to mark the launch of The Diana Award’s “Pledge to Invest” initiative in Las Vegas. The Diana Award was launched in memory of Princess Diana and is supported by both Harry and his estranged brother, Prince William, 42.
Harry backed the new initiative, which aims to support young people achieve leadership roles in the workplace and work with employers to create new opportunities for them.
“Through The Diana Award, I’ve had the privilege of meeting young people who have turned adversity into action. That’s not just inspiring — it’s the kind of untapped potential we can’t afford to overlook,” Harry said onstage. “Far too many young people are locked out of leadership pipelines because we’ve failed to build truly inclusive and accessible pathways.”
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“This generation isn’t waiting for permission to lead — they are already doing it,” he continued. “They bring emotional intelligence, social awareness and an honesty about mental health that previous generations struggled to express. What sets them apart isn’t just their boldness, but their refusal to settle for the status quo. If we’re serious about a better future, we need to stop underestimating them and start listening.”
Harry was joined onstage by Dr. Tessy Ojo, the CEO of The Diana Award, and two young recipients of the Diana Legacy Award, Sikander “Sonny” Khan and Christina Williams. (The award was established to recognize trailblazing humanitarians and social activists.)
“We’re in an era now where we are looking for more companies to be serving the greater good — the majority, not the minority,” Harry told Khan and Williams, praising them for being great examples to young people. “Every single young person has potential. From a younger generation standpoint, in an apathetic world, there’s more empathy in this generation than I’ve ever seen before… It’s the empathy, the authenticity, the truth, the honesty and the fearlessness. When they stand up for themselves and stand up in their communities, that is what we need. We need fearless leadership. So I tip my hat to both of you and what you represent.”
Harry’s appearance honoring his mom’s legacy came just days after he spoke about his rift with his father in an explosive BBC News interview on Friday, May 2.
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After losing an appeal to reinstate his government-funded security in the U.K., Harry said that Charles, 76, “won’t speak to me” amid the legal drama.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he said. “Life is precious. I don’t know how much longer my father has.”
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Harry also said that the outcome of the legal battle was “really quite sad” because he doesn’t feel he can bring his family, Meghan Markle, 43, and kids Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, to the U.K. without protection.
“I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” Harry declared on Friday. “I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.”
