Prince Harry, In NYC For Climate Week, Spoke About His Mother’s Legacy in Africa

Prince Harry is in New York City for Climate Week, but on Monday, he carried out a series of midtown Manhattan engagements that honored two of Princess Diana’s lasting charitable legacies. At the Concordia Summit, an annual gathering of businesses and nonprofits, the prince spoke onstage with recent winners of the Diana Award. Founded in 1999, the award honors young people who have made positive change in their local areas.

With Christina Williams from Jamaica and Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia, Harry spoke about the importance of thinking about mental health from a systemic perspective.  He said that the honorees of the award were carrying out works that were “so true to how my mother lived her life.”  The Diana Award’s longtime CEO Tessy Ojo also announced that the charity would launch a decade-long focus on mental wellness.

Onstage, Harry told Williams and Zhang that young people like them help keep him hopeful about the future. “The courage that you have gives me hope because every single one of us needs courage in order to move the dial and, and, and create positive change in today’s world,” he said. “Thank you to you guys for giving me—and probably a lot of other people in this room—hope. 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 been stolen, and that is unacceptable.”

The memory of his mother was central to Harry’s afternoon event with the HALO Trust, an anti-landmine charity that had been one of Diana’s central focuses during the final years of her life. The prince was joined by Senator Chris Coons and Angola’s Foreign Minister Tete António for a panel in front of a group of nonprofit professionals and funders that Harry called a “band of true believers hoping for a mine-free world,” which was simultaneously translated in English and Angolan Portuguese for the international guest.

Prince Harry speaks at the HALO Trust event celebrating Angola’s leadership in landmine clearance on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 23, 2024.

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In a speech, Harry spoke about returning to the spot cleared of landmines where his mother took a famous walk in 1997 and finding that a bustling suburb had sprouted in its place. “As you know, the HALO Trust work in Angola mattered a great deal to my mother,” the prince said. “Carrying on her legacy is something I take incredibly seriously.”

The prince got a few laughs when he said that the charity’s work to preserve the head of the Okavango River reminded him of the “Elephant” by reggae artist Burning Spear, adding “Don’t worry, I won’t sing it, you wouldn’t like that.”

He went on to explain the connection to the 1990 song. “Burning Spear sings of elephants defending each other and moving as one. He pleads for African nations to do the same, to stand up as one, to live as one,” he said. “That is exactly what is happening. This essential cross-border corporation recognizes that this priceless natural asset belongs to all people. Clearing these mines is about more than just physical safety. It’s about community and heard of, ok, that sense of peace improves well being. The work being done in Angola will undoubtedly have a profoundly positive effect on the lives of its people and all those who visit its natural beauty.”

Climate Week, a widespread collection of events meant to put attention on climate change during the week of the United Nations General Asssembly, takes place through Sunday, September 29.

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