The Duchess of Sussex effortlessly went off-script at a glittering awards night in New York last Thursday. Meghan, 44, and her husband, Prince Harry, 41, were honoured with the Humanitarians of the Year award at the Project Healthy Minds gala, with the Duchess wowing in a black Giorgio Armani trouser suit for the event.
The couple appeared on stage to accept the award, where they jointly gave a speech, speaking about the work of their initiative, The Parents' Network, which acts as a support network for other parents and caregivers whose children and families who have been impacted by social media.
During their remarks, Meghan took a moment to highlight a moving art installation that was unveiled by their Archewell Foundation in the east coast city in April, saying to the crowd: "If you do get a chance, I will go off-script here, to see the Lost Screen Memorial and hear many of their children's stories tomorrow, I think it will resonate with you, I hope it will resonate with you in the same way that it stayed with us." Gesturing at the teleprompter, the Duchess then said: "If we can go back to where we were, good, thank you." Watch the full video above.
© Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Project Healthy MindsThe Lost Screen Memorial, which is installed at the top of Penn Station overlooking the Manhattan skyline, comprises 50 large, illuminated smartphones, each displaying the lock screen photo of a child whose life was lost and tragically cut short due to the harms of social media. The personal images have been shared by parents who are members of The Archewell Foundation Parents' Network to honour their children's memories and to call attention to the urgent need for safer online spaces.
Harry and Meghan spent time with families at the memorial for a private vigil and moment of remembrance during the unveiling earlier this year, greeting them with hugs and taking the time to listen to their stories.
Harry and Meghan in New York
On Friday, the Sussexes also attended the Project Healthy Minds festival on World Mental Health Day, where they listened to a number of panel discussions around the impact of the digital world on young people today and how to prevent them from coming to harm while using screens.
© Rob Kim/Getty Images for Project Healthy MindsHarry, speaking about the widespread nature of mental health issues, said: "These are not separate problems for separate people. They are interlocking injuries to our global community. Mental health is shaped by public health, foreign policy, climate policy, corporate design, and economic choices. Too often, decisions made by a few powerful actors ripple across the planet and into every aspect of our lives."
He added that the digital world has "fundamentally changed how we experience reality - young people exposed to relentless comparison, harassment, misinformation and an attention economy designed to keep us scrolling at the expense of sleep and real human contact."
© Variety via Getty ImagesMeghan said the Archewell Foundation met families whose lives had been devastated by to social media-driven suicide. She emphasised that bereaved parents needed more than traditional therapy, saying: "The parents who lost children to social media didn't just need therapy – they needed other parents who understood their specific grief. When these parents came together, they weren't just sharing stories, they were creating a movement."
