Prince Harry made one final appearance in the UK on Thursday morning as he attended an event linked to the Diana Award in London. This last engagement comes after a busy four days in the UK before the Duke flies home to California to be reunited with Meghan and their young children.
Harry’s last outing saw him take part in a panel discussion on how social action positively impacts mental health with four young people who are involved with The Diana Award. The charity was set up in memory of his mother back in 1999 with the goal of continuing Diana, Princess of Wales‘ legacy by recognising the selfless community work of young people.
The Duke’s appearance on the panel came a day after he reunited with his father, King Charles, at Clarence House for the first time in 19 months.
The Duke visited Service Now where he heard moving stories about the emotional struggles young people must overcome in the social media age. Harry spoke at the small gathering, which was attended by around 40 people, to Lottie Leach, Elsa Arnold and Idorenyin Hope Akpan, all 23, who shared a blunt message to other young people—activism is good for your mental health.
The Diana Award CEO Dr Tessy Ojo, CBE said in a statement: “One in five young people is living with a diagnosable mental health condition, and four in ten feel powerless about their future. The crisis is real.
“This is why The Diana Award launched the Decade of Youth Wellbeing a year ago, prioritising mental health for young people globally.
“When young people are trusted to lead and take action, their wellbeing rises, their resilience grows, and hope is restored. Put simply, action heals minds.”
Harry has previously attended many events linked to the Diana Award, most recently when he travelled to Las Vegas to launch a new youth initiative back in May.
At the time, he told the audience: “Through The Diana Award, I’ve had the privilege of meeting young people who have turned adversity into action. That’s not just inspiring—it’s the kind of untapped potential we can’t afford to overlook.” He added: “Far too many young people are locked out of leadership pipelines because we’ve failed to build truly inclusive and accessible pathways.”
As he shared the stage with CEO of the Diana Award, Dr Tessy Ojo, Prince Harry went on to say: “This generation isn’t waiting for permission to lead—they are already doing it. They bring emotional intelligence, social awareness, and an honesty about mental health that previous generations struggled to express.
“What sets them apart isn’t just their boldness, but their refusal to settle for the status quo…If we’re serious about a better future, we need to stop underestimating them and start listening.”
Prince Harry has had a busy four days during his return to the UK. He arrived in the UK on Monday, with his first public appearance at the WellChild Awards in London that evening. Harry, 40, also travelled to Windsor to visit the burial place of the late Queen Elizabeth II on the third anniversary of her death.
Harry then travelled to Nottingham on Tuesday to carry out an engagement at the Community Recording Studio. The following day, he carried out an engagement at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London, before travelling to meet his father, King Charles, for the first time in 19 months.
He then travelled to the Gherkin in Central London for an Invictus Games reception. Asked how his father was by a reporter shortly after arriving at the Invictus reception, he replied: “Yes, he’s great, thank you.”
