Prince Harry and Meghan Unveil NYC Memorial Honoring Children Lost to Social Media Harms
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle unveiled a temporary memorial in New York City on Wednesday, honoring children lost to social media-related harms.
Established by the couple's Archewell Foundation, 'The Lost Screen' memorial features 50 illuminated smartphones, each displaying the lock screen photo of a child whose life was cut short because of social media. The images were shared by parents in the Archewell Foundation Parents' Network, many of whom came to New York to lay flowers at the display. The project calls for stronger online safeguards to better protect children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined a group of approximately 50 affected families at the memorial for a private vigil on April 23. The memorial, located at the The Perch in midtown Manhattan, will be open for 24 hours.
'Life is better off of social media," Prince Harry said at the unveiling on Wednesday afternoon, according to People. "I say that as a parent, and I say that as someone who's spoken to many of the kids here tonight who lost a brother or a sister to social media. But clearly, enough is not enough. Enough is not being done.'
After piloting the initiative in 2023, Prince Harry and Meghan launched the Parents' Network in August 2024 for parents in the U.S, the U.K, and Canada. "Our kids are young. They're three and five. They're amazing," Meghan told CBS News last year. "But all you want to do as parents is protect them. And so, as we can see what's happening in the online space, we know that there's a lot of work to be done there, and we're just happy to be able to be a part of change for good."
Prince Harry spoke further about the Parents' Network in a speech at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2024. 'Through trauma-informed practices, our Network helps parents come together to forge strong bonds, offering healing support through community,' the Duke of Sussex said at the time. 'This safe and free-to-access peer-support not only offers invaluable resources and advice, it is guided by a licensed facilitator, ensuring that no one has to navigate this journey alone. Our platform provides opportunity for parents to turn their pain into purpose, ultimately changing the very system that stole their child.'
A virtual edition of the memorial will also be available online, featuring each child's story, with some parents contributing personal voice messages for visitors to hear.
Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in New York earlier in the week to attend the 2025 Time100 Summit at Lincoln Center, where Meghan appeared for an on-stage interview with Time CEO Jessica Sibley.
You Might Also Like
12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion
13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
King Charles, Prince Harry at point of 'no turning back' as monarch refuses reconciliation: expert
As King Charles prepares to put on a united front with his family at this year's Trooping the Colour, the monarch and estranged son Prince Harry are nowhere near ending their rift. "There is no turning back," British royals expert Hilary Fordwich claimed to Fox News Digital. "King Charles remains tender towards his son but can't risk communication," she shared. "Prince William now has absolutely no interest in mending fences. Those close to the king say he [shouldn't] make peace with Harry in a way that would burden Prince William's future reign. The animosity is so deep that William has shut the door on Harry. Charles is not willing to go against his heir's wishes." King Charles, Prince Harry's Painful Feud 'Damaging' Monarch's Reign As Gutted Son Remains Furious: Expert "Everything comes down to trust and the lack of it," Fordwich added. Fordwich's comments came shortly after insiders told People magazine that the monarch, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, is hesitant to reconnect with his son. Many royal observers believe it's the monarch who should take the first step in igniting a royal reconciliation. Read On The Fox News App "The underlying issue is trust," royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith told the outlet. "The king and William don't trust Harry and Meghan with any kind of confidential conversation." Insiders told the outlet that the king, 76, isn't surrounded by palace aides urging him to reconcile with his son. Meanwhile, William is said to have "no interest" in extending an olive branch. "There is not a good angel in [the king's] ear to say, 'Be a good dad and make the first move,'" royal author Valentine Low told the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. WATCH: PRINCE HARRY LOOKING TO RECONCILE WITH KING CHARLES, ROYAL FAMILY Fordwich claimed that Harry has crossed such a deep line in Charles's eyes that it's been difficult for the king to forgive his son. Sources close to Harry previously claimed to People magazine that Charles won't respond to his letters or phone calls. "It's Harry's criticisms of Queen Camilla [in his memoir, 'Spare'], as well as his broader attacks on the family and institution, which have seriously crossed a line for the king and those closest to him," Fordwich claimed. "The king is now so puzzled by Harry's constant revelations. It's now beyond sensitive to discuss, so he avoids all interaction regarding the subject. He is so kind but overwhelmed and has quite enough on his plate to deal with, without all this from his son." Harry's troubled relationship with his family and the U.K. establishment has played out in public for years – in books, interviews, TV programs and the courts. Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace. That same year, they moved to California. Since the couple's royal exit, they have aired their grievances and made blistering allegations against the royal family. Harry's explosive 2023 memoir, "Spare," was stuffed with private details and embarrassing revelations. Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter Harry's rift with his family burst into the open once more with a raw interview he gave to the BBC in May after losing a court case over his security. In a long and at times emotional conversation, Harry said he wanted reconciliation. He admitted that his father, who is battling an undisclosed form of cancer, won't speak to him. "Harry's ill-timed recent interview on the BBC highlighted the lack of trust between them publicly," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. "He seemed to believe his father could and should solve the issue of security, which he insists he and his family should have." "The rift, sadly, seems likely to remain toxic as there is no mutual trust between them," said Fitzwilliams. "Hopefully, it will not worsen as the Sussexes could give further interviews or possibly write more about the feud, something that is invariably remunerative for them." Low told People magazine that despite Harry's call for peace on the BBC, his comments were seen as another blow to the royals. During the interview, Harry, who has met his father only once, briefly, since his diagnosis early last year, said, "I don't know how much longer my father has." "It wasn't meant to be an attack, but it would be seen as one," said Low. "It makes Charles reaching out even harder." Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that the royals take great pride in protecting their public image. They've maintained the late Queen Elizabeth II's motto of keep calm and carry on. Like What You're Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News "The royals play a positive role to the cameras," he explained. "[But] behind the scenes, they allegedly are constantly bickering with each other… King Charles has a past reputation for not making advances on difficult decisions." A source recently claimed to Us Weekly that William was "absolutely appalled" by Harry's comments to the BBC about their father's health. The insider claimed that the 42-year-old feels like Harry stooped "so low." Royal experts previously told Fox News Digital that William is fiercely protective of Charles. The source also told the outlet that it's unlikely that the feuding brothers will reunite while their father is still alive. "The funeral of Charles would be the first time that courtiers would imagine [them reuniting]," said the insider. "I can't imagine William would invite Harry to his coronation." Despite infrequent updates from the palace about his health, Charles has returned to a full slate of public duties. During his sit-down with the BBC, Harry held out little hope of another meeting with his father. "The only time I come back to the U.K. is, sadly, for funerals or court cases," he said. Fitzwilliams said that Charles must address his ongoing rift with Harry, 40, as it remains a dark cloud over his reign. "We are now less than a fortnight away from Trooping the Colour, which celebrates the monarch's birthday," he said. "King Charles can surely congratulate himself on negotiating a year where he has worked so hard and achieved a great deal despite battling cancer." "The one area that remains problematic is the rift with the Sussexes. He has only seen Prince Harry once after his diagnosis and then fleetingly." Back in 2024, Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," claimed to Fox News Digital that the king is still unable to forgive his son for casting Camilla as the villain in "Spare." "I think people have to realize that the one thing that Charles finds unforgivable is criticism of Camilla," said Andersen at the time. "There's no criticism of Camilla," Andersen claimed. "And unfortunately for Harry… Harry said some pretty devastating things about her. He made it clear that he felt she was… the villain in the piece. I think that still bothers the king, and I don't know that it will be easy for him to [forgive]. I don't think they'll ever forgive Harry for that." WATCH: PRINCE HARRY'S JABS AT QUEEN CAMILLA UNFORGIVABLE FOR KING CHARLES: EXPERT "[He's] on his own," Andersen added, referring to the Duke of Sussex. In televised interviews to promote the book, Harry accused his stepmother, 77, of leaking private conversations to the media to burnish her own reputation. He accused members of the royal family of getting "into bed with the devil" to gain favorable tabloid coverage, singling out Camilla's efforts to rehabilitate her image with the public after her longtime affair with his father. "That made her dangerous because of the connections that she was forging within the British press," Harry told CBS ahead of his book launch. "There was open willingness on both sides to trade information. And with a family built on hierarchy, and with her on the way to being queen consort, there was going to be people or bodies left in the street." The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in the wealthy coastal city of Montecito with their two young article source: King Charles, Prince Harry at point of 'no turning back' as monarch refuses reconciliation: expert
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Prospect Hill's history of rebellion and freedom
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A piece of Mississippi's complex past is on display at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. At first glance, it's just an elegant 19th century carriage. But behind the artifact lies a story of rebellion, freedom and a family torn between continents. 'This is a carriage that was owned by Isaac Ross Wade, who lived at Prospect Hill,' said Nan Prince, with the Two Mississippi Museums. Prospect Hill was a massive cotton plantation in Jefferson County. It was founded in 1808 by Isaac Ross, a Revolutionary War veteran who brought enslaved people with him to Mississippi. 'As part of his will, he stipulated that any slave who wanted to be freed could be freed, and any slave that wanted to stay at Prospect Hill would be sold with the plantation,' said Prince. Freedom came at a cost. Those who chose it were to be sent to Liberia, a place they had never known. 'It was founded by the American Colonization Society as a way to send freed slaves, 'Back to Africa,' even though they had never actually lived there in the first place,' Prince explained. Ross's grandson, Isaac Ross Wade, inherited the plantation and fought to keep it and the people enslaved there. 'The will was held up in court. That same year, there was a slave uprising at Prospect Hill, and the house was burned and a small child was killed. Several of the slaves who were suspected were lynched,' said Prince. Eventually, the court upheld the will. About 300 people were sent to Liberia. 'Isaac Wade purchased the property back and built a house to replace the one that burned down in 1854. And that house is still standing on the property,' stated Prince. Prospect Hill is now owned by the Archaeological Conservancy, which has helped connect descendants from all sides of this history. 'They have brought descendants from the Ross family, and the slaves that moved to Liberia, and the slaves that stayed in Jefferson County. Cousins get to know each other. It's really interesting to watch,' said Prince. She said while Ross' will did offer freedom, it came with limits and reflected a troubling mindset of the time. 'It wasn't strictly a compassionate move. It was an underline[d] racist move. It wasn't an option to just be free in America. You're either going to be free in Africa, or you're going to be enslaved in America,' Prince said. Artifacts like the carriage help paint the picture of who held power and what it cost. From tools made by enslaved hands to reunions brining descendants back together, Prospect Hill's legacy continues to unfold. 'We have a cotton scraper made by an enslaved individual. It would have been over probably 500 enslaved individuals on Prospect Hill,' said Prince. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Prince Harry Apparently Wants Archie and Lilibet to Have the Option of Becoming Working Royals
Prince Harry apparently wants to leave the door open for his kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to possibly be working royals someday, should they choose to do so. A new report explores Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to use Archie and Lilibet's prince and princess titles and HRH statuses. It also explains that their U.K. passports may have been delayed amid a reluctance to put their HRH titles and Sussex surname on years after stepping back as working members of the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still retain their HRH titles (shorthand for His or Her Royal Highness), and, while they don't use them publicly, have used them privately, as came out earlier this year. Harry and Meghan's kids, 6-year-old Prince Archie and 4-year-old Princess Lilibet, also have HRH titles, and, according to Town & Country, the Duke of Sussex wants to leave the option open for his kids to become working royals themselves someday, should they choose to do so. A new report in The Guardian details Harry's efforts to get U.K. passports for Archie and Lilibet, with the surname Sussex (as Meghan has expressed the desire to use for herself, as well) and the HRH titles as well. Archie's passport, for example, was originally issued as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (the surname the larger royal family uses) upon his birth in 2019, but after Archie's grandfather King Charles took the throne in 2022, he and Lilibet became entitled to use prince and princess titles. Harry and Meghan first expressed their intent to use said titles in March 2023, six months after Charles became King, on the occasion of Lilibet's christening. 'The children's titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch,' a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said at the time. There was a delay in issuing U.K. passports for Archie and Lilibet and 'There was clear reluctance to issue passports for the kids,' a source 'close to the Sussexes' told The Guardian, with the insider adding that 'the King hadn't wanted Archie and Lili to carry the titles, most of all the HRH, and the British passports, once created, would be the first and perhaps the only legal proof of their names.' The Guardian reported that Harry 'wants to keep the HRH titles for his children so that when they grow older they can decide for themselves whether they want to become working royals or stay out of public life.' As far back as the volatile Sandringham Summit in early 2020, Buckingham Palace said that 'The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the royal family.' That said, at least Meghan still uses her HRH title in a private capacity. The Guardian also reported that Harry and Meghan considered changing their surname to Spencer before landing on Sussex, which the outlet said stemmed from 'sheer exasperation' on Harry's part. After speaking about the matter with his uncle Earl Charles Spencer—Princess Diana's younger brother—though he was 'enthusiastic and supportive of the name change,' he advised against doing so because of legal reasons, and Harry and Meghan chose Sussex instead, reflective of their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles given to them by Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of their 2018 wedding. 'Harry was at a point where British passports for his children with their updated Sussex surnames were being blocked with a string of excuses over the course of five months,' a source speaking to The Guardian said. Per People, the passports for Archie and Lilibet eventually arrived nearly six months after the initial application; for context, standard processing time is typically around three weeks. The passports arrived 'shortly after the Sussexes' lawyers wrote to the U.K. Home Office, threatening to file a data subject access request—a legal move that could have revealed internal discussions or decisions behind the delay,' People reported. Read the original article on InStyle
