Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a heartfelt return to the spotlight in New York City, marking World Mental Health Day with a deeply emotional appearance that left audiences inspired. On October 10, 2025, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Festival, continuing their ongoing mission to reshape the conversation around emotional well-being in the digital age.

The couple, representing their Archewell Foundation, hosted three panel discussions at the event, each aimed at tackling one of today’s most pressing challenges: the mental health crisis among youth. While Meghan watched proudly from the front row, Harry took the stage first, delivering an impassioned opening speech titled “Thriving or Surviving: How Are Young People Doing in the Digital Age?”

“Today is about more than just conversation — it’s about community,” Prince Harry said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “The past five years have taught us painfully that crises rarely arrive in isolation. The global pandemic stripped away the ordinary scaffolding of life and brought a measurable surge in anxiety, depression, and loss of connection.”

Harry went on to address how technology has transformed the human experience — for better and worse. “Our digital world has fundamentally changed how we experience reality,” he said. “Young people are exposed to relentless comparison, harassment, misinformation — and an attention economy that thrives at the expense of real human connection.”

He called for a united response, emphasizing that mental health is not just a personal struggle, but a shared responsibility: “Maintaining good mental health isn’t just an individual challenge — it’s a community responsibility. When we approach it this way, everyone wins.”

After Harry’s moving remarks, Meghan Markle took the stage to introduce the next session, “How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an International Mental Health Crisis — And How We Can Reverse It,” moderated by journalist Katie Couric. Meghan’s tone was both empathetic and urgent.

“For this next panel, we’re turning to one of the most urgent questions families face today: What’s happening to childhood, and how do we allow our children to just be children?” she said.

Meghan then reflected on the Archewell Foundation’s Parents’ Network, an initiative launched in 2023 to support families who have lost children or faced trauma due to social media harm. “Three years ago, we met parents whose worlds had been absolutely shattered,” she recalled. “They didn’t just need therapy — they needed each other. In their shared grief, they built a movement. They turned their pain into purpose, and their love into lasting change.”

Following the discussions, Harry and Meghan mingled with attendees, exchanging hugs and words of encouragement before departing. The appearance came just one day after the couple was honored as Humanitarians of the Year at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Gala, where they received recognition for their efforts to build safer online spaces.

Their message — one of connection, compassion, and collective responsibility — echoed beyond the event. “When we care for one another,” Harry said, “we heal together.”

Once again, the Sussexes proved that their mission isn’t about headlines — it’s about humanity