SOLO PRINCE
Prince Harry reveals what ‘gives him hope’ & honours mum on New York trip without Meghan Markle
The usually inseparable pair have been spending time apart
PRINCE Harry revealed what 'gives him hope' and has honoured Princess Diana on his New York trip without Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex spoke on stage today to discuss mental health with two young winners of a legacy award in his mother's memory.
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It comes as part of the 14th Concordia Annual Summit, in support of The Diana Award.
Harry addressed The Legacy Award winners, Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia, and Christina Williams from Jamaica.
He said: "The courage that you have gives me hope because every single one of us need courage in order to really move the dial and create positive change in today's world, probably more so now than ever.
"So thank you to you guys for giving me, and probably a lot of other people, in this room, hope, and now we need to listen, constantly listen, and then act on the advice and the vision that you have, because otherwise it's your future that's being stolen from you and that is unacceptable."
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At the start of the Q&A session, the Duke of Sussex was asked by Diana Award chief executive Tessy Ojo "what are you hopeful for?" to which he joked "can I go last?"
"The reason why I wanted to go last is because these guys are the ones that give me hope," he said after speaking to Chiara and Christina.
Earlier in his speech, a nervous-looking Harry spoke of mental wellness at the event, and others talked about climate anxiety
The duke said: "This is a very, very important subject that affects every single one of us."
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Harry, who was wearing a gold, square Diana Award badge on the lapel of his dark suit, asked the two Diana Legacy Award winners taking part what "worries you the most about the world today?" and "what are the biggest barriers to young people reaching their full potential?"
He also asked them on how poor mental health had impacted them and their friends.
Christina Williams, 27, told the duke: "Scared children cannot dream, Prince Harry."
Harry said of mental health: "It affects every single one of us, from the top to bottom, from the youngest to the oldest.
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"And I think you guys are you're leading the charge in hopefully being able to break down the stigma to be able to continue these conversations."
The dad-of-two added: "I know that my mum would be incredibly proud of you guys, not just you, but all of the winners, and, Tessy - you've been in this for a very long time so thank you for that as well.
"But the way that you do it, your activism, your compassion, those two things are so true to how my mom led her life and what she believed in. And the way that you do it is incredible. So thank you."
The Duke of Sussex also urged governments to bring young people into decision making policy.
He said: "Surely one of the solutions here is for governments to implement, or at least find people young people like yourselves, and bring them into decision making, policy-making situations before the problems exist.
"That is where the difference is going to be made. And why is that not happening?"
It comes after Harry kicked off his New York with a glitzy dinner over the weekend.
He was pictured during a high-level dinner organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Big Apple on Sunday.
The event was to honour survivors of childhood violence and discuss its impact on mental health.
He rubbed shoulders with Queen Mathilde of Belgium and the Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo.
Officials from other countries included Sweden, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Canada, Iceland and Brazil.
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Actor Forest Whitaker was also in attendance, but Harry's wife Meghan was noticeably absent.
The usually inseparable pair have spent time apart since Harry's lads' trip to celebrate his 40th birthday this month.
Harry turned up alone at a charity event in California at the weekend after Meghan pulled out at the last minute having fallen ill.
It comes as he kicks off a week of high-profile solo events in New York.
Harry is due also to appear with an African conservation group, and the Halo Trust, a landmine charity which was close to Di's heart.
Next Monday he is scheduled to host the WellChild awards in London.
It is the second time in weeks that Harry has returned to England alone after he attended a memorial service for his uncle Lord Robert Fellowes at the end of August.
Royal expert Phil Dampier said: "It is significant that he is doing so much on his own now.
"They are living more separate lives as it looks like Harry is trying to carve out what exactly his future is.
"I suspect Harry has been feeling very much like a spare part.
"He wants more fulfilling roles for himself so we may well be seeing more of him here."
In a statement released ahead of his birthday, Harry failed to mention Meghan — instead focused on celebrating his "kind and funny" children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace denied cropping Meghan out of a picture in Harry's birthday wishes from the Prince and Princess of Wales.
A spokesperson for the Duke said: "During UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week in New York City, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will be in town to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives."
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The statement added: "He will participate in engagements with African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst.
"In addition, he will be furthering the work of The Archewell Foundation, the nonprofit organization he co-founded with his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. More details will be shared as we approach the week of events."
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