Prince Harry Jokes About Award Show ‘Date Night’ With Meghan Markle
"I found it quite weird that we’re sharing the room with 1,500 people,” the Duke of Sussex said onstage at the Ripple of Hope gala in NYC.
Prince Harry is still a bit of a jokester! While onstage with his wife, Meghan Markle, at the Ripple of Hope awards in the Big Apple on Tuesday, the Duke of Sussex poked fun at the crowd in the New York Hilton.
“I actually thought we were just going on a date night,” Harry, 38, joked to moderator Kerry Kennedy, with Meghan, 41, smiling at the comment. “I found it quite weird that we’re sharing the room with 1,500 people.”
The father of Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1, continued, “We don’t get out much because our kids are so small, and young. So this is completely unexpected. It’s nice to share date night with all of you, thank you for coming!”
The duchess chimed in, “Thank you for bringing me on this very special date night.”
“You’re welcome,” her husband insisted.
Meghan and Harry laughed onstage, days before their Netflix docuseries is set to debut.
Harry and Meghan were honored at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights gala for their work fighting racial injustice and prioritizing mental health — just days after his brother, Prince William, and sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, were in the U.S. to celebrate the 2022 Earthshot Prize in Boston.
At the award ceremony, Meghan discussed her past struggle with suicidal thoughts, echoing the sentiments she shared with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. According to the DailyMail, she said she “didn’t want to be alive anymore,” and decided to open up about her experience so others didn’t feel so alone.
“We all need to, when we can, if we feel brave enough, to just speak honestly about your own experience,” the duchess said. “It gives other people space and the courage to do the same, but more than that to really feel like you're not alone, because I think that is often what can be the largest hindrance when you feel that way, you don't see a way out.”
Meghan added, “Look, I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn't say it, then I would do it.”
At the gala, Meghan wore a special piece of jewelry belonging to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana: an aquamarine ring, the same one she slipped on for their wedding in 2018.
Meghan wore Diana’s blue ring and a white Louis Vuitton gown to the rainy event.
As Prince William celebrated the legacy of John F. Kennedy for Earthshot, Harry recognized the president’s late brother RFK in New York.
In a speech, the Duke of Sussex said, “As we all face a complete and challenging time in the world, we choose the path of optimism of care for each other and our communities. We understand this honor, not about the culmination of a life's work, but instead and in many ways for us, a beginning. Bobby Kennedy said, '‘Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.’”
Meghan added, “The enduring dream of RFK of a just and peaceful world is so much more than a simple hope. It's a direct ask, a specific challenge, a call to action, a test of individual courage and collective spirit.”
During the ceremony, the Sussexes also announced a new collaboration between their nonprofit organization, The Archewell Foundation, and the RFKHR: The Archewell Foundation Award for Gender Equity in Student Film.
“Our hope with this award is to inspire a new generation of leadership in the arts, where diverse up-and-coming talent have a platform to have their voices heard and their stories told,” the couple said in a statement.
Their public appearance in New York comes days before the anticipated release of the first half of their six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry and Meghan, on December 8. The documentary will explore the “clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.”
To say the program is controversial is an understatement as rifts between members of the royal family, including Harry, William and their father — the now King Charles — have been highly reported in recent months. And it’s worth mentioning that Harry also has a tell-all memoir, Spare, set to be released on January 10, 2023.
Only time will tell how the royals handle the revelations that will no doubt be uncovered.
