Prince Harry Enjoyed FaceTime With Meghan Markle, Archie And Lilibet Before Taking the Stage in NYC

As Prince Harry commenced his trip to New York City, his thoughts remained close to his family back in California. Before taking the stage at the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit on September 23, the Duke of Sussex made time to FaceTime his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.

During the call, Harry showed his children around the event venue at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel via the camera on his phone.

Highlighting The Diana Award And Mental Health

On the first day of his visit, Harry participated in a panel discussion focusing on mental health, highlighting The Diana Award, a charity established in memory of his mother, Princess Diana.

He was joined by Dr. Tessy Ojo, CEO of the charity, along with two Diana Legacy Award recipients, Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang, 18, and Christina Williams, 27.

Zhang expressed admiration for Harry’s kindness, sharing with PEOPLE that “Not only was he helping us get comfortable with speaking on stage, but he comforted us after as well. And backstage, he was actually calling Meghan. I thought that was just so sweet, and it helped humanize him. He made sure we had no nerves at all.”

Williams echoed Zhang’s sentiments, adding, “Here is someone who is in a high-level role, who really cares about young people, cares about our voices and our actions… I am leaving the experience with even more admiration for him, knowing that he truly cares about the causes he represents.”

Addressing The Mental Health Crisis Among Young People

Harry, Williams, Zhang, and Ojo’s panel discussion tackled the ongoing mental health crisis faced by today’s youth, proposing solutions to enhance the well-being of younger generations.

On the same day, The Diana Award launched its “Decade of Youth Wellbeing” initiative in honor of its 25th anniversary. The initiative, described as “a bold, ambitious, and collaborative plan to harness the power of young people,” aims to inspire positive change among youth like Christina and Chiara.

Harry And William: Continuing Diana’s Legacy

Behind the scenes, Harry’s encouragement played a significant role.

“I think he was very encouraging of us, saying that we’re going to go out there, we’re going to do a great job. He also spoke about the things that he was very passionate about, like the climate, trying to destigmatize mental health, bringing it down to a level of everybody’s business,” Williams told PEOPLE. “It’s about mental health, but also about mental fitness and mental wellbeing. So I think that was really good to warm us up for the stage and just put us in a place where we just spoke from the heart.”

Both Prince Harry and Prince William are ardent supporters of The Diana Award. Earlier in the year, Harry virtually participated in a London event celebrating the charity’s 25th anniversary, while William attended in person.

At the event, they connected with 20 Diana Legacy Award recipients from around the globe.

Reflecting on the significance of their support, Dr. Ojo told PEOPLE, “We are so honored, and what a privilege to have both her sons who support this work. And it is their mother’s legacy. They are both immensely committed to driving change,” Ojo told PEOPLE at the Concordia Summit about what it means to have both of the late Princess of Wales’ sons champion the cause. “We know it’s a privilege to have their support, and we will continue to work to make them proud and to keep their mother’s legacy alive.”

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Further Engagements In NYC

Prince Harry’s participation in The Diana Award panel marked the beginning of a series of engagements in New York City. On the same day, he attended an event with The HALO Trust, a charity closely associated with Princess Diana before her passing in 1997.

As his visit continued on September 24, Harry was set to take part in the Clinton Global Initiative and attend events centered around African Parks and Travalyst, organizations he is deeply involved with.

Balancing Public Duties with Family Life

Despite their public roles, Harry and Meghan are known for staying closely connected with their children while away from home.

During a visit to Canada in February for the Invictus Games’ One Year to Go event, Meghan took pictures of Harry attempting adaptive skiing to share the moment with their kids.

Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Prince Harry right now. Come back here often for all Prince Harry spoilers, news, and updates.

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