Prince Harry has revealed that his lock screen is a photo of his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, addressed the audience at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 event this morning, in his latest royal-style engagement in New York.
Harry took the stage alone and began giving a speech about the dangers of social media and “the pervasive threat our online world poses to us, especially our children.”
In an emotional speech, she said her phone’s lock screen is a photo of Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
Harry pulled out his phone and said, “My lock screen is a picture of my kids. What’s yours?”
Prince Harry revealed that his lock screen is a photo of his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in a speech in New York today
Although Harry was not accompanied on his trip to New York by his wife Meghan Markle or his children, he is said to be keeping in close contact with them.
Harry will be away from his home in Montecito for eight days as he takes a solo trip around the East Coast and the UK.
Before giving a speech at the Princess Diana Legacy Awards yesterday, the King’s youngest son made a video call to Meghan, 43, Archie and Lilibet, according to People Magazine.
The publication wrote that Harry reportedly showed his family around the room, giving them a brief tour of the hotel space before taking part in the 14th Annual Concordia Summit in support of the Diana Award.
“Backstage, I was calling Meghan. I thought it was really sweet and it helped humanize him,” Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, 18, a Diana Legacy Award winner who joined Harry on the mental health panel discussion, told People.
“He made sure we didn’t get nervous at all… He’s so kind. He not only helped us feel comfortable speaking on stage, but also comforted us afterwards,” the award winner added.
Elsewhere in the Duke’s speech today, he appeared solemn as images of young people displayed on mobile phone lock screens appeared on the big screen behind him.
After putting the device in his jacket pocket, Harry continued: ‘These children, and thousands more, meant the world to their families.
Prince Harry will be away from his home in Montecito for eight days as he takes a solo trip around the East Coast and the UK, but clearly, his family (pictured) have been on his mind during his visits.
Princess Lilibet at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor celebrating her first birthday on June 6, 2022
Harry and Meghan with Archie for their first public photograph at Windsor Castle in May 2019
‘Those beautiful faces you see before you, their smiles, their dreams, all lost. Too soon, and all because of social media.’
Harry said that through the Archewell Foundation Parents Network, his and Meghan’s charity will campaign for More to support families of children who have lost their lives to online abuse and stop further tragedies.
She added: “That’s why we’ve created the Parents Network, a global community that offers vital support to parents whose children have suffered the harmful effects of social media.”
He also poked fun at the antics of his own youth, prompting laughter from the audience. Harry said: “Some say kids will be kids and, well, that may be true. Kids can get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that. But our kids are being targeted. The harmful effects of social media are by design.”
He began by saying ‘Good morning’ to which someone in the audience responded by shouting the same, with Harry smiling and saying ‘thank you’.
The Duke said: ‘I stand before you today to speak about the pervasive threat our online world poses to us, especially our children.
‘If we allow the status quo to continue in an era where our lives are intertwined with technology, we cannot afford to view the online world solely as a space of profitability, competition and rapid growth.’
He said he and many other parents never grew up with a mobile phone and were struggling to understand the online world and help their children navigate it.
Harry was serious about the need to better protect children from the online world.
But he smiled when he joked about his own problems. “Kids can get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that,” he said.
Prince Harry on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 event in New York today
The Duke of Sussex looked solemn as he looked at photographs that appeared on mobile phone lock screens of young people who had lost their lives due to social media.
He pledged to use the Archewell Foundations to campaign to protect children and support families.
The Duke of Sussex, in an impassioned speech, said: ‘These platforms are designed to create addiction.
‘Young people are kept there by mindless, endless, mind-numbing scrolling, and forced to watch content that no child should ever be exposed to.
“I, like many of you, did not grow up with a phone. Young people today have an incredible understanding of technology that older generations may have found difficult to comprehend.”
He continued: ‘Our laws and regulations are different from state to state and country to country.
We may have different backgrounds, views, beliefs and even internet access, but the one thing we can universally agree on is the safety of our children.
“So why do the leaders of these incredibly powerful social media companies continue to refuse to change? Why do we hold them to the lowest ethical standards?”
In an apparent nod to his youthful antics that drew laughter from the audience, Harry said: “Some people say boys will be boys and, well, that may be true. Boys can get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that.
“But our children are in the crosshairs. The harmful effects of social media are driven by a specific design.”
On Monday, the Duke of Sussex, 40, appeared on stage in New York to discuss mental health and climate change with two young winners of a legacy award given in memory of Princess Diana.
Harry, who cracked his knuckles and looked nervous as he sat on stage, spoke about the importance of mental wellbeing at the event, where attendees spoke about their climate anxiety.
He personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received the Legacy Award in memory of Princess Diana, joking: “For some reason they gave me the microphone to ask the questions.”
She told them: “I applaud you for having the confidence to stand on this stage. I know my mother would be incredibly proud of you. Your activism is true to how my mother lived her life.”
Harry, wearing a navy suit and tie with a Diana Award pin on his lapel, asked: “Do you feel like you are being listened to by leaders and people in positions of power?” adding that he wanted the Diana Award to help his campaign to tackle climate change and build influence around the world.
And when asked what gives him hope for the future, he said: “I’ve said it years ago and I’ll say it again. The younger generation is what gives me hope. The courage they have gives me hope.
“We all need courage to make a difference in this world, probably more than ever. We need to listen and act accordingly, because it is our future that will be stolen from us and that is unacceptable.”
Last week, the Duke of Sussex celebrated his 40th birthday, with the King, Queen and Kensington Palace all wishing him a happy birthday on social media.
Ahead of her celebrations, she revealed that the “best gift” she’s ever received is her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Harry wrote in an email to People Magazine‘The best gift I have ever received is, without a doubt, my children. I enjoy watching them grow every day and I love being their father.’
The people, who are known to be close to the Sussexes, also reported that Harry was now “focused on enjoying life” with his family “after years of self-reflection”.
