Prince Harry stepped out solo for a Movember panel discussion in NYC

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are already in New York ahead of the Project Healthy Minds’ gala event this evening. Harry and Meghan will pick up their Humanitarians of the Year award tonight, and there’s also some kind of event tomorrow in New York (for World Mental Health Day). But before all of that happens, Harry stepped out solo for an event in New York last night. The British papers already have blaring headlines about “Harry SOLO, where is Meghan?!?!” Wait until you hear what Harry’s event was though: it was literally about men’s mental health and the so-called “male loneliness epidemic.” Harry was telling bros that they need to get some therapy.

Prince Harry has stepped out for a secret solo engagement in New York City, just hours before receiving a prestigious award. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the Big Apple for a series of engagements surrounding their mental health advocacy, with co-founders of the Archewell Foundation set to receive the Project Healthy Minds’ Humanitarians of the Year Award tonight in recognition of their campaigns to make the online world a safer place for families and young people. Before their rare joint appearance, Harry undertook a secret solo outing last night for an important cause that he holds close to his heart.

Harry joined Movember – the leading global men’s health non-profit – to discuss what needs to be done for American men who are struggling with their mental health. The panel took place at the Australian American Association in New York City where a report called The Real Face of Men’s Health: USA from the Movember Institute of Men’s Health was launched.

Journalist Brooke Baldwin moderated a conversation between Prince Harry and a group of researchers to discuss the dire state of men’s mental health in the US. Prince Harry, who has spent over a decade working with veterans and advocating for mental health, spoke about a pattern he’s witnessed across communities, noting the profound isolation men experience when they believe no one will understand what they’re going through.

“Yet when I speak to men, the same struggles keep coming up,” he said, “Which tells me that the weight they carry isn’t uncommon. The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand. Loneliness convinces you you’re the only one, which is rarely true.”

Harry also called out the impact social media has on the mental health of young men, saying he believes “too many young men are being raised by algorithms that make them feel powerless and hopeless, rather than real mentors.” He went on to note that the role models young men need aren’t necessarily celebrities, but dads, coaches, and friends who choose honesty over silence, as he said: “They are the real superheroes.”

“I found myself speaking to many veterans and sitting down with them I realized the silence is killing people,” he said, adding, “Stamping out the stigma globally, we’ve come a long way. Access to therapy is still a massive problem.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

These are all great messages, and the message runs counter to the “bros” who use their platforms to encourage toxicity, loneliness, misogyny and a lot of other bullsh-t. Harry’s like… talk therapy works, build friendships, find a mentor or mentor someone else, it will literally save your life. This is yet another “cause” which I could see Harry moving into on a more formal basis. He recently took part in a video for UNAIDS, and I suggested that he should become a UNAIDS ambassador. He should seek out some kind of formal patronage dealing specifically with men’s mental health and/or Movember. Archewell also updated their site with more info about Harry’s event.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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32 Responses to “Prince Harry stepped out solo for a Movember panel discussion in NYC”

  1. Henny Penny says:

    For the sake of humanity, I really do hope Harry does move decisively in the direction of men’s mental health. The world needs a man like Harry to counter all the poisonous voices using men’s loneliness to make money for themselves.

    • Gtwiecz says:

      Just an off comment here: I watched the episode with William and Eugene Levy. There was a sadness in William. Also his need to mention how his childhood was hard and how he wants to change this for his children. I think this is a man who really needs therapy. It didn’t go unnoticed the subtle dig that his father is an adult and can take care of his cancer without his help.

      • Not a Subject says:

        Who GAF about Will. He’s a mean spirited, nasty, competitive man who has very publicly cheated on his wife throughout their marriage and nearly destroyed his brother and Meghan with his campaign of lies leaked to the press. Of course he’s sad! It’s called karma. Yes he needs therapy. Badly.

  2. Hypocrisy says:

    I like everything about what he said… 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  3. Dee(2) says:

    Something formal around this subject matter would be a good offshoot of the work that he’s done specifically with military member mental health, into the larger population and probably could tie up into his job as the CIO at BetterUp. I hope that he does plan to get some sort of official ambassadorship role, especially since as he’s said he doesn’t plan to start any new charities and wants to do everything under the Archewell umbrella.

    As for where is Meghan, he’s literally speaking about the difficulties that men have opening up about their need for mental health assistance. And the loneliness that they feel going through these things, as if they are the only ones who have these issues. He’s encouraging them not to be embarrassed to speak out, and that there are safe spaces for them to talk about their issues. So of course what he should do is to bring his wife. That totally would put them all at ease.

    Kate did an event by herself today, where was her husband, doesn’t he care about kids and Early childhood health? Their weird obsession with seeing them together, seeing their home, and seeing their kids so they can analyze them from every angle is so bizarre. If they weren’t pretending to be journalists they would be on a fixated person’s list.

    • tamsin says:

      @Dee(2)
      “If they weren’t pretending to be journalists they would be on a fixated person’s list.” Exactly!
      They’re getting away with criminal behaviour and debasing journalism.
      And what is this “secret” nonsense? Do Brits not know the difference between private and public. And just because they don’t know about something does not make it secret. These people so live inside their own asses.

    • Kingston says:

      @Dee(2)
      An ambassadorship would get a big “NO” from me.

      It would only be yet another time, money and energy-consuming and unpaid role to add to all the other time, money and energy-consuming, unpaid roles already under H’s portfolio. But as H himself has said, he is not interested in starting any new charities. Rather, he is looking to create mutually beneficial relationships and synergies between groups in need and those with the means to help.

      I believe the Travalyst model is the blueprint. H is the sole director of that trillion dollar organization and I can only hope this means he receives a director’s emolument. I believe that this is how he plans to form organizations going forward.

      Consider all the time, money and energy-consuming efforts that H continues to invest in the charities he has supported over the past 2 decades in britain while he was a member of that make-work cult (as seen from his recent whirlwind visit). His natural sense of responsibility to help the less-fortunate is the driving force behind his continued association with these said charities. And yet, he is no longer in the position which saw him with no greater responsibility than to self and the cult.

      H is now a married man with children and with a unique need for security for himself and his family both for the present and long into the future. He therefore needs to be constantly ensuring income and revenue for his family’s current and future needs. H&M are first generation Sussex; A and L are 2nd generation Sussex and they are literally two babies. Yet this little family faces an existential threat which none of us can conceive of.

      So, no………..H&M need to become multi-billionaires therefore, giving freely of their time, energy, money and effort is not sustainable.

      • Lurker says:

        Unfortunately, Harry works for Travalyst pro bono. I wish he would get a nice salary, but alas, it seems he leaves it to Meghan to bring in the money while he pursues his passion projects for free.

      • Dee(2) says:

        Passive income is a thing, and he still works for BetterUp. They have both spoken about their investment portfolio before and if they have invested even half of what he has received in media settlements and from Spare they are probably doing fine financially. So being an ambassador for 30 hours a month, when he has a paying job, passive income, and still does paid speaking engagements , won’t leave them broke and will allow him to do what he wants which is philanthropy. And the end of the day though, I’m always going to trust Harry and Meghan know how much they need to work,not work, and what they can afford better than I can.

      • bisynaptic says:

        Travalyst is a trillion-dollar organization???

    • Not a Subject says:

      Harry gets a very substantial speaking fee for these public speeches he gives. He’s still with one of the top speakers bureaus in the world.

  4. jais says:

    Good for Harry. For some reason, I thought they had another event in nyc around UNAIDS but I guess I was confused. I’d never heard of Movember before but appreciate how Harry keeps going back to the algorithms are messed up right now. Idk know if this sounds silly but can parents just give their kids flip phones with limited internet access? It’s hard though bc a lot of education programs and homework is online now which makes it necessary to be connected at a younger age.

    • Lawrenceville says:

      @Jais, I read about a guy that was convicted for grooming kids right off of their school websites and school computers. Nowhere is safe for kids nowadays, flip phones of not. But what Prince Harry said is very useful, get a mentor or mentor someone. There’s lots of love to go around and as a result save lives and save those of our children. There are also a loooooottt of people that unalived themselves because of the unkind vitriol aimed at them on social media platforms. Nobody is safe nowadays. When I think of Regina King’s precious only child, I also equally think about Perez Hilton, and I always wonder how many people have unalived themselves because of Perez Hilton online cruelty towards others, SMDH. Nobody is safe.

      • Jais says:

        Okay but what about flip phones that only call or text? I feel like this is probably not a feasible solution and parent are looking at me like get real. My heart goes out for Regina King and all the parents that the Sussexes have connected with though The Parent’s Network.

    • Hypocrisy says:

      I thought Movember was that month that men refused to shave…

    • Betsy says:

      It’s convenient to blame social media for young people’s mental health problems, but—many if not most teenagers had equally distressing issues before the Internet.

      Also–sure thing you can give your kid a flip phone that can only call or text. But guess what? Their friends will have smartphones. It’s not the answer.

      Plus, as someone born in the 60s, I can assure you that people bullied others just fine before the Internet. Nasty comments, notes, phone calls…

  5. ana says:

    or join a union! it sounds silly, but it literally helps with empowerment, making friends, meeting people with shared experiences and can give purpose.

  6. He is so good at service is universal!! I enjoyed his speech! Why would Meg be a part of this men’s discussion? How come Peg wasn’t with Can’t today? They need some of the therapy that Harry was talking about desperately!!

    • Barbara Allen says:

      Because the topic is an important women’s topic, too that you should investigate. Perhaps then you wouldn’t need to make up names for the coupleor project your problems onto them.

  7. MsIam says:

    The Britrags crack me up with this “secret solo outing” nonsense. Like Harry is sneaking around, climbing through windows and using secret passwords, lol. No bitch, they just don’t tell you guys what’s going on.

  8. Kingston says:

    “Prince Harry has stepped out for a secret solo engagement……..”

    SECRET. SOLO. ENGAGEMENT.

    Now I ask you, where else in the world where journalism is practiced, would the attendance by a VIP to an event (which necessarily means lots of people would be there, whether its a private event or open to the public), be described as “secret;” and why would his attendance and participation as a panelist be redundantly described as “solo.”

    Is it a brit thing? Is everyone over on that………………….island, imbued with such a deeply embedded inferiority complex that everything which the normal world does as a matter of course is considered, on that……………………….island, to be something to be remarked upon and treated as if it is an alien concept?!?

  9. QuiteContrary says:

    This is a really necessary message.

    How much better off would we be if more men got therapy???

    • Beverley says:

      Agreed.
      Certainly the people of Britain would be better off if their future king got some much needed help.

      • Iolanthe says:

        @ Beverly . Spot on . When I look at pictures of William at college beside what he is now ..its like the Picture of Dorian Gray . Either the animosity and jealousy eating his innards has imprinted on his external appearance or theres some kind of substance abuse , the man looks haggard and decrepit , and he is only 43?

  10. maja says:

    He discussed men’s health.

  11. Betsy says:

    I am the mother of two children, a boy and a girl, who have struggled with depression and anxiety since age 12 or so. I can tell you that while almost everyone couldn’t do enough for my girl’s struggles, when it came to my son almost no one understood or cared. The same schools, the same diagnoses, the same people mocked my boy’s problems whereas no one was anything but caring and helpful to my daughter. I could go on and on, but I was absolutely shocked at the difference in my supposedly enlightened upper middle existence. I don’t think I’d’ve believed it if we hadn’t lived it.

    So good for Harry. Men’s and boys’ mental health is just as important as females’.

  12. Elly says:

    H&M can’t win with these “journalists”. If Meghan were with him they would say she shouldn’t be there. Since she’s not on stage with him they’re asking why isn’t she there. It’s really absurd. Harry is right on target regarding men and mental health. Men have historically been quiet about traumatic experiences. This even applies to veterans and police who experience a lot of trauma. Studies have consistently shown that talking about something traumatic is helpful. There are different kinds of intelligence and Harry’s emotional intelligence is at a very high level. His warmth and sincerity are obvious too. I’m a big fan of Harry and Meghan. Their light should not be hidden.

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