Political prince: Harry pulled pregnant Meghan on stage as he made a speech in London yesterday
Harry woos young crowd with oh-so trendy list of soundbites
PRINCE Harry turned political yesterday as he told an audience of cheering young people that they were ‘the most engaged generation in history’.
In a very modern speech to some 12,000 schoolchildren and students, he said they needed to have ‘less screen time, and more face to face time, exceed expectations, and take risks’ if they were to leave their mark on the world.
However his message of positivity was also peppered with criticism of previous generations, suggesting they were judgmental, lacked positivity and were incapable of ‘thinking outside the box’.
Harry was at Wembley Arena in London to mark WE Day, a global initiative encouraging young people to take part in positive social change.
And he drew screams from the young crowd as he announced: ‘I’m now going to drag my wife on stage.’
Pregnant Meghan, who was not scheduled to be part of the event, smiled as her husband led her from her seat and then stood with her arms around him as he spoke.
Harry even referenced the duchess – who friends revealed now writes many of his speeches. He said: ‘As my wife often reminds me with one her favourite quotes by Martin Luther King Jr, “darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”.’
Harry, 34, in his role as president of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, told the crowd: ‘Your optimism is inspiring – you see opportunities where other people see challenges; you seek solutions when others just focus on problems.
‘You are the most engaged generation in history. You care about values, doing the right thing, and championing the causes that will shape your future. You don’t judge someone on how they look, where they’re from, or how they identify.’
He said he felt ‘proud to stand in your presence as you tackle the world’s greatest issues. And you guys know as well as I do, we’ve still got so much to do’.
The prince attacked both mainstream and social media and said he understood why younger people found themselves ‘frustrated’ by older generations.
‘If we look at the world we’re living in, I know it can feel challenging sometimes, but your role is to shine the light,’ the prince said.
‘Every day you are inundated with an overexposure of advertising and mainstream media, social media and endless comparisons, distorting the truth, and trying to manipulate the power of positive thinking.
‘But you don’t let them sway you... You confidently voice your opinions because you can embrace them proudly.
‘You aren’t always going to agree, you may find yourselves frustrated with the older generation when it seems like they don’t care. But try to remove that judgment. Try to remember that not everyone sees the world the way you do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.
‘It means you have the incredible opportunity to help reshape mindsets, to empower those around you to think outside the box, and to work with you, not against you, to find solutions.
‘You know that if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything. So let that be your true north, let that be your call to action – to inspire those who stand for nothing, to stand for something – and to stand with you.’
Harry went on to highlight mental health and the environment as two of the biggest issues facing young people today.
On mental health, he praised young people for embracing the issue ‘whole heartedly, breaking the generational stigma and helping to normalise the conversation’. On the environment Harry added: ‘Climate change is a humanitarian issue not a political one, and one where we’ve been far too slow in waking up to the issues and acting on the damaging impact our ways of living are having on the world.
‘ We now have the facts, the science, the technology and the ability to save not just our planet, but ourselves.
‘I know you don’t sit back and
wait for solutions, you take action and create them.’ Harry concluded by offering a 15point ‘to-do list’ including: ‘Be kind to each other. Be kind to yourselves. Have less screen time and more face-to-face time. Keep empathy alive. Change your thoughts and change the world. Dare to be the greatest generation of all time.’
The WE Day event also featured a performance by Brit Award winner Tom Walker and a speech from Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the Pussycat Dolls.