It was a big night for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as they were recognized as Humanitarians of the Year at the Project Healthy Minds gala – and Prince Harry displayed how in love he remains with wife of seven years. The pair stepped out hand-in-hand on Thursday October 9 in New York City, and as the pair walked the red carpet, HELLO! caught Harry cheekily grazing Meghan's bottom, before a word from Meghan saw him smiling and lifting his hands higher on her hip for pictures.
Held at Spring Studios, the annual Gala "unites cultural, artistic, business, and civic leaders to champion mental health awareness" with the goal to highlight "the transformative power of community in fostering new conversations about mental health and shaping cultural perspectives."
It kicked off with a cocktail reception and immersive artistic installation by Keith Lissner before guests, including Kalen Jackson, Owner & Chief Brand Officer of NFL team Indianapolis Colts, took their seats for a dinner of seabass and filet mignon, and the awards presentation. Carson Daly, host of NBC's The Voice and The TODAY Show hosted the three-hour gala while Lukas Graham and Alexander Stewart both performed.
The royal pair were honored last during the ceremony, and gave an emotional speech which Meghan opened by referencing their children: "Our children Archie and Lili are just six- and four-years-old. Can you believe it? Luckily still too young for social media but we know that day is coming, and like so many parents, we think constantly about how to embrace technology's benefits while safeguarding against the dangers."
Keep scrolling for pictures of all the best moments...
The pair arrived late, as traffic in New York City was reportedly worse than normal. But they were full of smiles, keeping a close hold of each other as they walked the red carpet.
Harry and Meghan were presented their award from Laura Marquez-Garrett, a 2002 Harvard Law School graduate who after 20 years in the field pivoted to join the Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC) to contribute to the Center’s mission of change and holding social media companies accountable for the harms they are causing to children and families.
The pair arrived with Phil Schermer, the founder and CEO of Project Healthy Minds, and during their speech Meghan spoke about the work their two teams had "quietly" been doing together behind the scenes.
Inside, guests enjoyed burratina, vegetable ash-crusted filet mignon or zucchini-scaled sea bass, followed by a caramel poached baby pear for dessert and wine from The Calling, a California-based winery.
During the speech they announced that Archewell Foundation's Parents' Network initiative would be joining forces with ParentsTogether, a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to family advocacy and online safety.
"Knowledge is power, and community is strength. Expanding the parents' movement and supporting them throughout, is how real change happens. That's why we are so proud to announce tonight that The Parents’ Network is joining forces with ParentsTogether," Harry said. "This is a natural evolution to enable the community to continue to grow and have more impact alongside the rapid rise of technology.”
The final award of the evening was presented by Laura Marquez-Garrett to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
In their acceptance speech, Meghan said, "We met with a group of American families whose lives were forever changed by the online harms that ultimately created the tragic fates of their children, and in that first gathering, it was clear that for all of these families, meeting others who had endured a similar experience was comforting, but more than that it was unifying. We felt the collective strength of this community coming together to heal and feeling compelled to act in a much more public way, which is what we began to do."
The Duchess wrapped their acceptance speech saying: “We know that when parents come together, when communities unite, waves are made. We've seen it happen and we're watching it grow. And with your support, we'll continue building a safer digital world for all of our children. So on behalf of my husband and I, thank you so much for being here tonight. Thank you all of you for your support and thank you for standing with us as we continue this vital work. Thank you. We appreciate it."
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