Trending 2nd July 2020 by Denise Curtin

Prince Harry Delivered A Powerful Speech On Princess Diana’s Birthday

'I'm confident about the world's future and its ability to heal because it is in your hands.'

 

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Prince Harry made an appearance at the first ever virtual Diana Award ceremony this week.

Calling from Los Angeles, the Duke of Sussex congratulated young change makers who were being awarded for their work in relation to fighting racism and injustice.

On what would have been Princess Diana’s 59th birthday, the Diana Award was first established in 1999 in memory of the Princess of Wales. As she believed that young people have the power to change the world, the award honours and congratulates those who are making a change by doing incredible selfless acts. The charity behind the Diana Award also runs anti-bullying and mentoring programmes to help children feel safe.

While speaking at the virtual awards, Prince Harry spoke about his late mother by saying:

“You are all doing such incredible work and at a time of great uncertainty, you have found the power and inspiration inside of you to make a positive mark on the world, and I love that The Diana Award is able to help you do it. I know that my mother has been an inspiration to many of you and I can assure you she would have been fighting your corner. Like many of you, she never took the easy route, she never took the popular one, or the comfortable one. But she stood for something. And she stood up for people who needed it.

“Right now, we’re seeing situations around the world where division, isolation and anger are dominating as pain and trauma come to the surface. But I see the greatest hope in people like you and I’m confident about the world’s future and its ability to heal because it is in your hands.”

Continuing, Prince Harry spoke about his wife Meghan, apologised for his generation and not having the world in a place he’s proud of, and spoke about why the fight for equality needs everyone’s support.

“My wife [Meghan] said recently that our generation and the ones before us haven’t done enough to right the wrongs of the past. I too am sorry – sorry that we haven’t got the world to a place you deserve it to be. Institutional racism has no place in our societies, yet it is still endemic. Unconscious bias must be acknowledged without blame to create a better world for all of you.

“I want you to know that we are committed to being part of the solution and to being part of the change that you are all leading. Now is the time and we know that you can do it.”

Harry’s message came on behalf of him and his brother, Prince William. Others to present awards at the ceremony included celebrities Liam Payne, Miranda Hart, Dame Emma Thompson and Will Poulter.

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