Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived in a convoy of seven blacked-out vehicles for a mental health summit in New York City – five months after the two were involved in a “near-disastrous car chase” in Manhattan.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will host a panel discussion at World Mental Health Day today. This is her first in-person event for her charity, the Archewell Foundation.
Meghan, 42, reached the summit in a white strapless blazer with matching white pants and heels, while her husband, 39, wore a sharp navy suit.
The couple were beaming as they arrived at the venue, but they appeared to become emotional as the event began. Both looked incredibly bleak as the panel discussion began – with parents who have “suffered a tragic loss related to their child’s use of social media.” ‘ go on stage to tell their stories.
They revealed during the event that they have been working behind the scenes with parents over the past year to “create a community of shared experiences,” with Harry and Meghan later taking the stage to thank all the mothers and fathers who shared their stories.
“I can’t start without thanking all the parents, mothers and fathers who were here today, for being with us, physically here today, but also for being on this journey over the last year and making this community more together “Have created experiences,” Harry said in a video shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
“We know it’s not easy for you to be here, so thank you.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put on a stylish show as they arrived in New York today before hosting an event to mark World Mental Health Day
Meghan, 42, was seen in a glamorous white strapless trouser suit as she arrived at the Hudson Yards venue for the summit, where the couple will discuss the dangers of social media
Both Meghan and Harry appeared somber as they sat down at the event, which will feature parents who have suffered “losses related to their child’s use of social media.”
They appeared thoughtful as they sat and listened to the parents attending the event
As Meghan took the stage at the event, she admitted she was moved to tears by some of the “devastating” stories shared by parents attending the summit
Meanwhile, Harry thanked all the mothers and fathers who agreed to speak about the losses they have suffered
Meanwhile, Meghan admitted that some of the stories the parents shared at their first meeting brought her to tears.
“When we met some of the families a year ago, not all of them, it was impossible not to burst into tears as I’m sure so many of you have heard these stories today,” she said.
“You can hear these stories over and over again and they will still have the same emotional impact because they are just so devastating.”
Meghan continued to express her fears for her own children, who are growing up in a time when social media plays such a large role in everyone’s lives.
“Although our children are very young as parents, they are two and a half and four and a half… but social media is not going away,” she continued.
“I think there was an intentional entry point that was meant to have a positive impact on creating a community and something developed and there’s no way to hear that and not try to help these families with their stories.” be heard.”
Another video taken during the event and posted to Twitter shows Meghan hugging several speakers after they left the stage after addressing the assembled crowd.
Harry and Meghan’s appearance at the festival comes just hours after Harry’s brother Prince William and his wife Princess Kate hosted their own Mental Health Day event in the West Midlands.
Today’s event, where the pair were joined by Today host Carson Daly and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will mark the couple’s first appearance together in New York since the infamous “chase” they were involved in in May while attending the Women of Vision Awards.
Meghan also expressed her fears for her own children, saying: “As parents, our children are still very young, at two and a half and four and a half… but social media is not going away.”
The event was hosted by Today presenter Carson Daly, who joined the Sussexes on stage
On this occasion, the couple appeared to have taken fairly strict measures to ensure their safety – with a designated NYPD escort accompanying their fleet of SUVs to the Hudson Yards venue.
Questions still remain about Harry and Meghan’s account of the chase, which was described as “near catastrophic” in a statement from the couple’s spokesman.
The spokesman said the couple, as well as Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, were victims of “more than two hours of relentless pursuit” by “extremely aggressive paparazzi.”
It was believed they were trying to avoid being followed to their location on the city’s Upper East Side.
However, New York police later told NBC that they did not consider the chase to be “close to catastrophic,” instead describing it as a “somewhat chaotic scene.”
Julian Phillips, New York’s deputy commissioner of public information, also revealed that the NYPD “assisted” the couple’s private security team.
Meanwhile, New York Mayor Eric Adams expressed his condolences and described the actions of the paparazzi as “reckless” and “irresponsible” but said it was “hard to believe” that a two-hour high-speed chase occurred.
On this occasion, Harry and Meghan apparently took every precaution, arriving at Hudson Yards in a fleet of blacked-out vehicles that drove straight into an underground parking garage, where they were quickly surrounded by several security guards.
Before arriving at Hudson Yards, the couple attended the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, which is described as an “alternative to college” that “prepares young adults of color for rewarding, prosperous careers in technology.” one year of training.
The couple arrived in a fleet of seven blacked-out vehicles for the World Mental Health Day Festival in Manhattan
Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, drove straight into an underground car park where they were closely monitored by a team of security guards
The visit marks the first time they have returned to New York since their visit in May, when they said they were involved in a “near-disastrous car chase.”
Pictures shared by Harry and Meghan’s friend and favorite media member Omid Scobie show the duo posing alongside several students at the school, with the Duchess wearing black skinny jeans, a fitted black top and a pair of high heels – along with a letterman jacket , which she received in March 2020 from the Robert Clack School debate team in the UK.
“Today Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan visited @MarcyLabSchool in New York,” Scobie wrote.
“It is one of America’s only alternatives to a traditional four-year college, offering a one-year, full-time scholarship in software engineering.” Students pay no fees – funding comes from philanthropic support.
“Fun fact: Meghan’s varsity letterman jacket was gifted to her by the debate team at Robert Clack School in Essex, England, during her visit in March 2020.”
Scobie added that Harry and Meghan took part in a “mindful meditation session” where students talked openly about how they were feeling. He said the Duke of Sussex advised the class: “Everyone has their own story, the reason they are here, your life will still be full of complications and challenges.”
“And if one of you starts staying silent and doesn’t show up, you need to figure out why. And remember to have fun! It has to be fun.’
Speaking to Town & Country after the couple’s visit, Zohaiv Manzoor, an alumni who now works as an instructor at the school, gushed about the couple’s “positivity” and “joy,” saying, “They were super down to earth, they really did listened.” With everything we had to say, the questions they asked afterward, it really seemed like they were internalizing the things we said, our stories.
“They did really great.” They were really positive, you could see from their expressions that they were also really excited to be there and they had a lot of fun with them. They made me feel super welcome.’
After leaving school, the two headed to Hudson Yards to begin preparations for their summit.
They arrived at the venue around 11:30 a.m., two hours before they were scheduled to take the stage for the event, titled “The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in a Digital Age.”
During the event, the pair will strive to “give a voice to families who are passionate about building a safer online world for children and teens,” said a statement shared with People.
They will discuss initiatives that “create positive change” and speak with parents who have suffered “tragic losses related to their child’s use of social media.”
People reported earlier this month that Harry and Meghan had been working with parents who will be attending the summit in advance of the event.
The couple arrived at the event together and went straight to their front row seats
During the event, hosted by Today anchor Carson Daly, they sat next to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy
Meghan looked elegant in her white strapless blazer, which she paired with a simple necklace, while her brunette locks were pulled up into an updo
At today’s event, the couple will sit with parents who have suffered a “tragic loss related to their child’s use of social media.”
“The families have been working with the Archewell Foundation for a year to strengthen the community and advance solutions,” a spokesperson said.
“Together, they are united by their mission to share personal experiences, data and research to ensure the same thing does not happen to other families.”
In a segment on the Today show this morning, Carson, 50, who is an outspoken advocate for mental health care, revealed that he has been working with Harry and Meghan behind the scenes and shared a few more details about what their event involved will bring about.
“I will be with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess, behind the scenes at their foundation,” he shared. “They have done an enormous amount of work [and] “Today we’re going to talk about the struggle parents have with social media for their children in the digital age.”
Prince Harry and Meghan have both been incredibly vocal about the importance of mental health care and advocacy. The Duke of Sussex appeared in an Apple TV+ documentary focused entirely on mental health issues that he co-created with Oprah Winfrey.
In the series, titled “The Me You Can’t See,” Harry talked about the therapy he went through to overcome his childhood trauma.
He was filmed undergoing EMDR therapy, which aims to help someone cope with trauma. As he did so, Harry performed a series of movements, such as closing his eyes and folding his arms, while remembering past events.
The Duke has also spoken out numerous times about the dangers of social media, writing an opinion piece back in August 2020 in which he claimed it was fueling a “crisis of hate.”
Before arriving at the World Mental Health Day event, Harry and Meghan visited a “college alternative” school in Brooklyn, where they spent time with students and staff
Meghan wore a letterman jacket gifted to her by the debate team at Robert Clack School in the UK in March 2020
According to a graduate of the school, the couple were “very excited to be there.”
During the visit, the couple took part in a “mindful meditation session”, during which Harry – who posed with students – advised the group to keep each other’s wellbeing in mind
A graduate of the school described the pair as “super down to earth” and added: “They were really positive.”
In the article, written for business magazine Fast Company and headlined: “Social media divides us.” “Together we can reshape it,” Harry said social media was “uneasy” in its current form.
“The digital landscape is not doing well and companies like yours have an opportunity to rethink their role in funding and supporting online platforms that have contributed to and fueled a crisis of hate, a crisis of health and a crisis of truth and created the conditions for it,” he wrote.
He called for online communities to be “defined by compassion rather than hate; through truth instead of misinformation; through justice and inclusivity rather than injustice and scaremongering; by free and not by armed speech.’
Harry and Meghan’s summit comes just hours after Prince William and Princess Kate hosted their own youth-focused event to mark Mental Health Day in the UK, where they hosted a forum for young people focusing on the importance of understanding emotions and focused on building positive relationships.
The Princess of Wales added a very special element to her outfit for the day by donning a pair of star-shaped earrings gifted to her by a grieving mother, which she had made in memory of her daughter who tragically took her own life took at the age of 17 after struggling with depression.
Kate promised mother Sarah Renton that she would wear the jewelry after receiving the earrings in June – and she kept that promise today as she joined the 41-year-old Prince of Wales for a public engagement in the West Midlands city of World Mental Health Day.
After meeting Kate earlier this year, Ms Renton – a rugby coach – said: “My daughter Issy took her own life.”
“The proceeds from the earrings will go to a charity called Brave Minds, a mental health charity that supports children who use rugby club platforms.” Mental health is such an important issue.
“She was wonderful, Issy, a real breath of fresh air.” She had wonderful, wonderful friends and surrounded herself with the best people.
Harry and Meghan’s appearance in New York comes just hours after the Prince and Princess of Wales hosted their own World Mental Health Day event in the UK
Kate added a special element to her outfit for the day by donning a pair of star-shaped earrings gifted to her by a grieving mother who had them made in memory of her daughter
“She had her life together, did so well in her A-levels, she wanted to join an elite rugby program, she paid for touch rugby for England and won a gold medal in the summer.”
“But she also struggled with depression. Everything was more difficult than it should be. “We thought she was obviously doing better than she was.”
Kate gave a passionate speech at the event, telling guests: “Alongside the efforts of many others, we have seen real change.” Nowadays, more people than ever feel empowered to talk about their mental health. This is great progress.
“William and I continue to be inspired to see young people, like all of you here today, leading this charge – and being particularly brave to lead some of these conversations themselves.”
“As a generation, you value your mental health more and talk about it more than any before you – something we truly admire and applaud.”
“However, it is important to remember the bigger picture as we meet here today.” What are we trying to improve by focusing our efforts on mental health? Ultimately, we are working to build a happier, healthier world.
“We want to create fairer, safer, friendlier and more equal societies – societies that work together towards the common good and a better future.”
“For just as we must restore, protect and invest in our planet, we must also restore, protect and invest in the communities, relationships and people who live on it.”