Meghan and Harry spend barely an afternoon in NYC before jetting back to LA
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited the Big Apple to host an Archewell Foundation summit for World Mental Health Day.
Harry and Meghan speak on mental health
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited to New York City on Tuesday four months after their "near catastrophic car chase" this past May.
The royal couple called for social media platforms to adopt better content-moderation policies and other fixes, saying modifications need to be made to addictive apps that can harm young people's mental health.
Harry and Meghan’s comments came after hearing from panels featuring a handful of parents who lost children due to mental health challenges tied to social media use. The parents spoke about their loss and how a community that the foundation has created to talk about these issues is helping them find support.
Harry said the foundation has been bringing parents together through Zoom during the past year because many of them didn’t have the opportunity to connect with others who’ve gone through a similar tragedy.
“For us, the priority here is to turn pain into purpose,” Harry said at the panel, which also featured Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and was moderated by NBC host Carson Daly.
It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were allegedly chased by paparazzi in the city after leaving Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards earlier this summer.
Their representative said in a statement at the time: "Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers. While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety."
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Harry and Meghan talk about youth mental health
The royal couple discussed the how the internet and social media affect youth mental health longside Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and moderated by NBC host Carson Daly, who has talked about his struggles with anxiety in the past.
The event is part of a second annual mental health awareness festival hosted by a nonprofit called Project Healthy Minds.
In the United Kingdom on Tuesday, Harry’s brother, Prince William and his wife Kate also participated in a separate forum to draw awareness to young people’s challenges with mental health.
The Duke and Duchess greet students
Meghan and Harry visited the Marcy Lab school, an alternative to college for young adults of color.
During the visit, the royal couple sat in on a mindful meditation session—a chance for students to share how they’re feeling.
Harry told the students: "If one of you starts to go quiet, doesn’t show up, you need to find out why."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taking 'secret steps' to avoid chaos
Harry and Meghan will take extra precautions going into their trip to NYC, says PR expert Mayah Riaz.
Riaz spoke to The Mirror about what that could mean: "Ahead of Harry and Meghan's New York trip, they'll likely to be thinking of their last trip and the paparazzi car chase. Therefore, they will no doubt be taking certain measures along with their security and PR teams for a smooth trip.
"Firstly, they would have already established a comprehensive security plan. This would involve assessing potential risks and implementing measures to mitigate them."
Riaz has ideas on how to tighten up security, including "securing safe transportation and coordinating with the New York Police Department." Harry has flown commercial before, but this time around, he may opt for private.
Good afternoon
Good afternoon from New York. I'm Claire Anderson, I'll be bringing you all the latest developments on the Ukraine war. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: claire.anderson01@reachplc.com
