Prince Harry’s ‘hidden jibe’ at the royal family at the NEXUS Global Summit in New York

Harry has been estranged from his family for some time now

Prince Harry appeared to deliver a subtle dig at the royal family during his surprise appearance at the NEXUS Global Summit in New York recently.

Addressing an audience of 350 philanthropists, changemakers, and investors, the Duke of Sussex, 40, spoke passionately about compassionate leadership, legacy-building, and his transition from obligatory service to voluntary service.

But it was his pointed remarks about service and truth that could have been seen as a veiled criticism of the institution he left behind.
Prince Harry made a surprise appearance at the NEXUS Global Summit in New York (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Prince Harry attends NEXUS Global Summit in New York

Reflecting on his own journey from royal life to founding the Archewell Foundation with wife Meghan Markle in 2020, Harry spoke about his personal evolution, from being born into a life of service to finding his own path and shifting from obligation to a genuine desire to serve.

After Queen Elizabeth II confirmed that Harry and Meghan would not “continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service” in 2021, the couple issued a statement: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Harry’s latest remarks appear to echo and quietly reaffirm that philosophy.

“The thing that gives me the most hope is the grassroots approach,” he told the summit crowd. “Many of you here today are connected and involved with so many community solutions. That service part is really what energises me as well.”

The duke went on to challenge attendees to think deeply about the systems, not just the symptoms, holding society back.

“As the world gets harder, as people’s lives become harder, compassion can shrink,” he warned.

‘We will continue to live our life by truth’

In one especially intimate moment, Harry recalled advice from Meghan early in their relationship.

Harry said: “My wife said to me… ‘If you live your life by truth, it’s the most efficient way to live.’ We will continue to live our life by truth. We will continue to stand up for what we believe in, the difference between right and wrong.”

Was this a subtle dig at his past royal life?

Harry’s words also echo Meghan’s recent comments.

In an appearance on Emma Grede’s podcast last month, the Duchess of Sussex urged people to “tell the truth”.

“If you could rewrite your public narrative from scratch, is there anything that you would do differently?” Emma asked.

Meghan responded: “Yes. I would ask people to tell the truth.”
Harry claimed that Meghan was the “most trolled person in the world” (Credit: SplashNews.com)

‘We just knew something had to change’

Speaking to NEXUS Global co-founder Rachel Gerrol, Harry also discussed the couple’s growing focus on digital safety, which was born out of lived experience.

“It wasn’t something that was sexy. It wasn’t even something we were necessarily passionate about,” he admitted.

“But it became very clear to us very quickly, speaking to a lot of experts, that for all the work we are collectively doing, and all the progress we are achieving, if the digital world is not done responsibly, it’s going to turn back that progress. And we can see that with climate change.”

He added a poignant reminder of the toll online abuse can take, referencing Meghan’s own experience.

Harry stated: “In 2018, my wife was the most trolled person in the world. That lived experience shaped our understanding, but we never set out to take on the industry. We just knew something had to change.”