Prince Harry shares rare update on his children as he issues dire warning

The Duke is continuing to champion causes close to his late mother Princess Diana's heart by being one of the star guests at the Clinton Foundation.

Prince Harry has shared a rare update about his children during a passionate speech at a high-profile panel event.

The Duke is continuing to champion causes close to his late mother Princess Diana's heart by being one of the star guests at the Clinton Foundation. The summit endeavours to find solutions to global challenges including the climate emergency, homelessness and the 'global killer' lead poisoning crisis.

As reported by the Mirror, Harry took centre stage at the event to discuss how to tackle the challenges caused by the online world. He fidgeted with his suit blazer and checked his mic was working as he walked on solo, smiling when a member of the crowd shouted hello. He then delivered a powerful address and offered rare, personal insight into how the digital landscape could affect his own children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Harry said: "I stand before you today to speak about the pervasive threat that our online world poses to us, especially our children. If we allow the status quo to remain in an age where our lives are intertwined with technology, we cannot afford to only see the online world as a space for profitability, competition, and rapid growth instead."

Not holding back in his direct address to social media companies, the Duke looked sombre when he said: "These platforms are designed to create addiction. Young people are kept there by mindless, endless, numbing, scrolling, being force fed content that no child should ever be exposed to. I, like many of you, do not grow up with a phone. Young people today possess an incredible understanding of technology that older generations may struggle to grasp."

Dubbing the online environment "hostile and overwhelming" for children, Harry said the mental health crisis amongst young people is "compounded by the relentless spread of unreliable and unfounded information, leaving many feeling isolated, confused and scared".

In a poignant moment during his speech, the Duke pulled out his phone from his pocket and said: "My lock screen is a picture of my kids. What's yours?" A montage of lock screens then appeared behind the Prince on a large screen, and he added: "These children and thousands more meant the world to their families. The beautiful faces you see before you, their smiles, their dreams, all lost, all too soon and all because of social media."

Harry said they were the inspiration for why his Archewell Foundation launched the Parents Network, a support network for parents of children affected by online harm.

In a seeming nod to his antics in his younger days which prompted laughter in the audience, Harry said: "Some say kids will be kids and well, that may well be true. Kids may get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that. But our kids are being targeted. The harmful effects of social media are made by design."

His closing speech followed appearances by primatologist Jane Goodall, Bill Clinton, US politician and head of Nasa Bill Nelson, and billionaire philanthropists Hamdi Ulukaya, the boss of the US yoghurt firm Chobani, and Laurene Powell Jobs, who is the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

US broadcaster Katie Couric also appeared on stage, which could have been uncomfortable for Harry. The US presenter previously interviewed the duke for a special programme about his late grandmother's 2021 Diamond Jubilee and subsequently painted him in an unflattering light. In her 2021 memoir, Going There, she claimed that Harry, then 27, stunk of cigarettes and alcohol, with it "oozing from every pore".

Celebrity chef, humanitarian activist and friend of Harry and Meghan José Andrés also spoke at the event, championing solutions to food waste and calling for leaders to listen to the "voices of humanity" amid the conflict in Gaza. He founded World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organisation that provides food relief in crisis-stricken countries across the world.

Earlier this month, Andrés raised eyebrows when he joined the board of Prince William's prestigious Earthshot Prize - despite being a "longtime friend and partner" to the Sussexes. The move was said to be 'humiliating' for Harry and Meghan as their fractured bond with the royal family shows little sign of improving. José and Harry didn't cross paths on stage, as they joined at different intervals.

Other events on Tuesday see the Harry focus on Lesotho, the impoverished southern African country where he set up his Sentebale charity to support Aids orphans, and the Travalyst organisation, which aims to encourage the tourism sector to become more sustainable.

It is a busy few days for Harry in the Big Apple as yesterday he appeared at the Concordia Summit in New York, where he talked about the Diana Award, named in memory of his late mother Princess Diana, along with its CEO Dr Tessy Ojo.

Talking about his mother, Harry said she would be proud of the award as well as the two winners of the prize, who spoke about the issues facing young people today. The duke added: "I know that my mum would be incredibly proud of you guys, not just you, but all of the winners, and, Tessy – you've been in this for a very long time so thank you for that as well. But the way that you do it, your activism, your compassion, those two things are so true to how my mom led her life and what she believed in. And the way that you do it is incredible. So thank you."

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The Duke of Sussex also called on governments to bring young people into decision making policy. "Surely one of the solutions here is for governments to implement, or at least find people young people like yourselves, and bring them into decision making, policy-making situations before the problems exist," Harry said.

Later, he also spoke at an event for The Halo Trust, the landmine clearance charity supported by his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly. The late princess was escorted through a cleared minefield in Angola by the trust in 1997 during the country’s civil war, a visit which prompted the signing of an anti-personnel landmine ban in Ottawa after her death later that year.

Harry retraced her steps in 2019 when the Angolan government announced a 60 million dollar (£45million) investment in clearing mines, work he praised during his speech. "The Halo Trust's work in Angola meant a great deal to my mother,” he said. "Carrying on her legacy is a responsibility that I take seriously. I think we all know how much she would want us to finish this particular job."

Harry also appeared at a private engagement with conservation group African Parks on Monday. He is on a solo trip to the Big Apple, where he is due to speak at several high-profile events that coincide with the United Nations General Assembly this week. A trip to the UK also beckons with the duke attending the WellChild annual awards next Monday.

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