Prince Harry made an appearance in Las Vegas as he launched a new youth initiative for the Diana Award – his first public outing since giving a bombshell interview to the BBC after losing his UK security appeal
Prince Harry has been seen for the first time since his controversial interview in which he claimed his father, the King, is not speaking to him. The Duke of Sussex appeared at an event in Las Vegas yesterday, where he launched a new youth initiative with the Diana Award—which was set up in his late mother’s honour.
He took part in a conversation with two young people who are holders of The Legacy Award on the same day his son Archie turned six. His trip to Vegas came just days after he caused ructions with his lengthy interview on Friday in response to losing a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK.
The duke, who appeared emotional and close to tears during much of the sit-down chat, described his court defeat as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up” and expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family.
But Harry’s decision to speak out appears to have worsened the chances of an end to his estrangement, amid suggestions the King, who is still being treated for cancer, and the Prince of Wales will fear more than ever that any conversation with the duke would end up in the public domain.
Las Vegas is famously the destination of a raucous road trip Harry took in 2012, with the escapade ending with photos of the naked prince, who was frolicking with a woman in his hotel room after a game of strip billiards, being splashed on front pages of newspapers around the world and on celebrity gossip websites.
However, last night he helped launch the Pledge To Invest drive, which aims to put a spotlight on the future of youth leadership and how forward-thinking businesses can support it. He chatted with Sikander ‘Sonny’ Khan, from Michigan in the US, and Christina Williams, from Jamaica, as well as Paul Fipps, of Service Now, at the Knowledge 2025 event.
Speaking before Harry’s appearance, Tessy Ojo, chief executive of The Diana Award which was set up in tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, said: “Companies that invest in youth leadership today are cultivating the workforce, innovators and consumers of tomorrow.
“The Diana Award is proud to launch Pledge To Invest – an opportunity for forward-thinking businesses to make a strategic, measurable and high-impact investment in the future of youth leadership. For over 25 years, The Diana Award has invested in young people, empowering them to tackle the pressing issues of our time.”
Mr Fipps said he was “proud to partner with Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and The Diana Award to provide a platform that encourages other business leaders to invest in young people”.
Harry’s appearance comes just after he lost his Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK and said in the TV interview he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.
He failed in his appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK. “But 2020, when that decision happened, I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it,” said Harry.
He added: “I thought, with all the disagreements and all of the chaos that’s happening, the one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe. And not only did they decide to remove my security in the UK, but they also signalled to every single government around the world not to protect us.”
He also told the BBC: “Everybody knew that they were putting us at risk in 2020 and they hoped that me knowing that risk would force us to come back.”
The duke said the protection given members of the monarchy was a form of “control”, saying: “I think what really worries me more than anything else about today’s decision, depending on what happens next, it set a new precedent that security can be used to control members of the family. And effectively what it does is imprison other members of the family from being able to choose a different life.”
As the royals get back to their normal duties after a difficult year, the Mirror has launched its very own Royal WhatsApp community where you’ll get all the latest news on the UK’s most famous family.
We’ll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in.
All you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group.
We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN