Prince Harry thanked recipients for “protecting his mother’s legacy” as he spoke via videolink after an awards ceremony that had been attended by the Prince of Wales.
The Diana Legacy Award celebrates the achievements of young people from around the world.
After the glitzy ceremony at the Science Museum in London the Duke of Sussex made a virtual appearance from America to speak with the award recipients via a big screen.
“My mum would be incredibly proud for all the work that you have done,” he said. “I’m incredibly proud and thank you for all the work that you do.
“I am seriously impressed with the work that you do… the future is yours. Thank you very much, for inspiring so many others and at the same time protecting my mother’s legacy – I really appreciate that.”
The Duke spent 30 minutes chatting and thanking the group before adding: “Don’t get into too much trouble [tonight] if you are continuing to go on.”
His appearance came after the departure from the ceremony of the Prince of Wales, who had delivered a speech in which he said his mother would have been “honoured” to see a charity in her name inspiring young people to make a valid contribution to society.
“She taught me that everyone has the potential to give something back; that everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life,” he said.
“That legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years.”
Both of the brothers, despite their differences, are still involved in the award, and every year have contributed to the ceremony in some way.
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Meanwhile, in the US, The Archewell Foundation – a charity founded by Harry and his wife Meghan in 2020 – announced the winner of this year’s NAACP – Archewell Foundation Digital Civil Rights Award.
‘Uplfting a new generation of leaders’
With the aim of “uplifting a new generation of leaders who work towards advancing civil rights through the online world” Harry and Meghan were seen personally delivering the news to the winner, computer scientist, Dr Joy Buolamwini.
In a video on the charity’s website, a smiling Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, are seen telling Dr Buolamwini: “You won!” before both embracing the digital activist, who founded the Algorithmic Justice League, an organisation focused on finding ways to overcome racist and sexist biases in artificial intelligence systems.
The video appeared to be filmed at the SXSW Conference in Texas to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, during which Meghan revealed she received “hateful” abuse on social media while she was pregnant with both of her children.
She claimed that she now “keeps distance” from social media but on Thursday an unverified account for a brand called American Riviera Orchard appeared on Instagram.
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The account features a logo, a link to a website where fans can enter their email address to join a waiting list, and a bio that says “by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex”.
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A short video story accompanied the launch, showing scenes of Meghan baking, hands arranging flowers, and a woman in a gown standing at the end of a colonnade.
The account had accrued 344,000 followers by Friday.
