The duke is heading back to the US after his UK trip
Prince Harry made a heartfelt plea during an event to honour his late mother, Princess Diana, on Thursday (September 11).
His message came the day after he met with his father, King Charles, in person for the first time in 19 months.
The king met with Harry (Credit: CoverImages.com)
Prince Harry meets with King Charles
After over 19 months of not seeing each other in person, Prince Harry and Charles met at Clarence House on Wednesday (September 10).
The Duke of Sussex was in the UK this week for a series of charity engagements. However, he found time in his busy schedule to visit his father in London.
The duke went to visit his dad at 5.20pm (BST) and was there for around 55 minutes.
Buckingham Palace later confirmed that Harry and Charles did meet “for a private tea”.
After their meeting, Harry headed off to another engagement, this time an Invictus Games reception at The Gherkin, aka Swiss Re building, in London.
Upon arrival at the event, Harry was reportedly asked how his father is. “Yes, he’s great, thank you,” Harry replied.
The duke has previously spoken about how he wants to reconcile with his family following years of tell-all interviews and his memoir, Spare.
Harry was at the Diana Awards on Thursday (Credit: CoverImages.com)
Prince Harry’s plea at event to honour Princess Diana
On Thursday, Harry attended an event that honoured his late mother, Princess Diana.
The duke made a special appearance at the Diana Award in Central London, where he heard from young people about how social action has positively impacted their mental health.
The duke met with some changemakers and listened to a panel discussion before leaving at 11am.
My message to everyone is don’t stand still, don’t stay silent – make them hear you because you speak for the majority.
The Diana Award is the only charity set up in Princess Diana’s name, and is a project he shares with his brother, Prince William.
In a statement, Harry said: “Getting involved in peaceful social action takes courage and determination. Young people see the issues society faces close up – whether that’s poor mental health or the consequences of inequalities.”
The Duke of Sussex has visited the UK this week (Credit: Photo by Victoria Jones/Shutterstock)
Harry’s statement
The statement then continued: “But you don’t stand still; your empathy and compassion drive you to make change. Purpose combined with action can help overcome a sense of hopelessness, and that’s exactly what you’ve shown today.
“When you spoke about how taking action gave you purpose, confidence and joy, it was more powerful than any statistic. It reminded me that agency is not a luxury for young people, it is a lifeline.”
“My mother believed in the power and agency of young people to positively impact the world. The Diana Award continues her legacy by putting young people at the heart of everything they do. Today is a perfect example of that. My message to everyone is don’t stand still, don’t stay silent – make them hear you because you speak for the majority,” he added.
The duke is now expected to fly back to the US to reunite with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
Read more: Prince Harry speaks about ‘anger and resentment’ in new speech hours after he meets King Charles