Prince Harry and Prince William team up to deliver heartbreaking speech in honour of late mother Princess Diana

prince harry prince william heartbreaking speech princess diana
(Image credit: Getty)

Prince Harry has delivered a heartbreaking speech in honour of late mother Princess Diana.

  • Prince Harry has spoken out in a moving speech which he delivered in honour of late mother Princess Diana’s birthday.
  • The Duke of Sussex addressed the ‘institutional racism’ that is ‘in our societies’, conveying a heartfelt apology for anyone impacted by this.
  • In other royal news, this is the royal title that Duchess Camilla will be denied – despite pleas from Prince Charles.

Prince Harry has spoken about racism in a moving speech he made to honour his late mother Princess Diana’s birthday.

On behalf of himself and brother Prince William, the Duke of Sussex delivered a congratulatory message to those who have received a Diana Award this year.

Shared on the organisation’s Instagram page, the video includes a 'special mention to those Diana Award recipients who have been awarded for their work on issues related to race and injustice’.

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"I am so incredibly proud to be part of these awards as they honour the legacy of my mother and bring out the very best in people like you,” said Harry in his moving speech.

“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.”

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Touching on the ‘endemic’ racism in society that is coming to the forefront of conversations across the world, the royal continued, "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."

Harry then went on to speak on behalf of himself and his wife Duchess Meghan, continuing, "My wife said recently that our generation and the ones before us haven't done enough to right the wrongs of the past.

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“I too am sorry,” he continued in a heartfelt apology, “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."

What lovely words from the Duke of Sussex.

Aleesha Badkar
Digital Beauty Editor, woman&home

Aleesha is Digital Beauty Editor at woman&home, where she gets to share her expertise into all the best techniques, sharpest tools and newest products—with a particular savvy in skincare and fragrance.

Previously, she was Deputy Editor and Beauty & Fashion Editor for My Imperfect Life, where she headed up the beauty, fashion and eCommerce pages. In the past, she has worked as Shopping Writer at woman&home, gained an AOP awards nomination after working on their news team, contributed to Women's Health, Stylist and Goodto and earned an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.