Harry and Meghan: 'A ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change'

"We know a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change," the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said, after winning an award for their racial justice and mental health work.

Prince Harry and Meghan received the Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organisation at a gala in New York.

The two also spoke about their "belief of courage over fear and love over hate".

Actor Alec Baldwin hosted the ceremony.

The RFKHR is a human rights advocacy organisation that focuses on issues such as mass incarceration, racial justice and gender-based violence.

It says that it honours those who have demonstrated "an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice and human rights".

During the ceremony, Harry and Meghan announced a new collaboration between their Archewell Foundation and the RFKHR - the Archewell Foundation Award for Gender Equity in Student Film.

"Our hope with this award is to inspire a new generation of leadership in the arts, where diverse up-and-coming talent have a platform to have their voices heard and their stories told," the couple said in a statement.

"The values of RFK Foundation and the Archewell Foundation are aligned in our shared belief of courage over fear, and love over hate.

"Together we know that a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change."

Speaking on stage with Ms Kennedy during the event, Harry joked: "I'll be honest with you, Kerry - I just thought we were just going on a date night, so I found it quite weird that we're sharing the room with 1,500 people.

"We don't get out much these days because our kids are so small and young, so this is completely unexpected.

"But it's nice to share date night with all of you, so thank you for coming," he added to laughter from the audience.

Harry joked with the audience

The ceremony was hosted by actor Alec Baldwin, who last year was involved in a deadly shooting on the set of a Western movie when a gun that Baldwin was using during rehearsal killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Last October, Baldwin reached a settlement with Hutchins' family.

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky and Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan also received awards.

RFKHR President Kerry Kennedy said the royal couple had been "incredibly brave" in addressing the issues of mental illness and racial justice.

"For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalise discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave," Ms Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert F Kennedy, told US outlet Extra.

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Harry and Meghan's new show will be released on Netflix on Thursday.

In the second of two trailers, Prince Harry spoke of the "leaking" and "planting of stories" as part of a "dirty game".

However, the trailers have been criticised for allegedly using footage and photos in misleading ways.

Meghan and Harry have long discussed their mental health struggles. Speaking in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan said she found life within the Royal Family so difficult that at times she "didn't want to be alive anymore".

In the revealing interview, Meghan also said Prince Harry was asked by an unnamed family member "how dark" their son Archie's skin might be.

Last week, the outgoing Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner said the duchess received "disgusting and very real" threats while she was a working royal.

Prince Harry has also said he had to step back from royal duties to protect himself and his family from the "toxic" situation created by the UK press.

The duke told TV chat host James Corden that it was "destroying my mental health" and he "did what any husband [or] father would do".