Prince Harry Returns to U.S. Weeks After Moving Family to U.K. for Major N.Y.C. Speech: ‘I Come to This as a Father’
Prince Harry Returns to U.S. Weeks After Moving Family to U.K. for Major N.Y.C. Speech: ‘I Come to This as a Father’
Meredith Kile, Elizabeth RosnerWed, September 23, 2026 at 1:32 PM UTC
50
Prince Harry attends the 2026 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown on September 23, 2026 in New York City.Credit: John Nacion/Getty -
Prince Harry returned to the U.S. just weeks after moving to the U.K. with Meghan Markle and their children
The Duke of Sussex delivered a major speech at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City
“I come to this as a father,” Harry said as he warned about the risks AI and other rapidly developing technology can pose to children
Prince Harry is back in the U.S. — less than a month after moving his family to Britain.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, returned stateside for a high-profile appearance at Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City on Wednesday, Sept. 23, marking a brief return to the country he called home for more than six years.
Harry arrived in New York on Sept. 22 following a whirlwind week of engagements in London and was spotted out in the city that evening, ahead of the event the next day.
Harry’s New York trip comes just weeks after he and Meghan Markle, 45, relocated to the U.K. with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, on Aug. 26. The family is now residing outside London while maintaining their home in Montecito, Calif.
Taking the stage during the annual meeting, held during United Nations General Assembly week, Harry delivered an impassioned speech about the dangers technology can pose to children, turning to his own experience as a parent as he urged leaders not to repeat what he described as failures to adequately address the harms of social media.
Prince Harry attends the 2026 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown on September 23, 2026 in New York City.Credit: John Nacion/Getty
Harry’s appearance quickly drew a crowd, PEOPLE observed from inside the event. After his name was announced over a loudspeaker, attendees streamed into the room, which fell silent as the Duke of Sussex took the stage. The crowd settled in and leaned forward, listening intently throughout his remarks.
“But I come to this as a father,” Harry said, “one who has shared countless conversations with other parents as they mourned the loss of their children to recklessly built technology.”
Harry recalled standing on the same stage two years ago to announce the creation of The Parents’ Network, an initiative he and Meghan launched at Archewell after meeting families whose children died by suicide or suffered serious harm following their experiences with social media.
“Hundreds of faces. Hundreds of lock screens. Hundreds of children who should still be here,” Harry said, referring to images of children displayed behind him.
This time, the Duke of Sussex said there had been signs of progress — but warned against repeating the same mistakes with rapidly developing artificial intelligence.
“Social media learned how to capture our attention. AI is learning how to enter our relationships,” Harry said. “It doesn’t just want your attention, it wants your attachment.”
“We have spent years trying to loosen technology’s grip on children’s attention,” he continued. “We cannot wait another decade to discover what happens when technology has a grip on their relationships.”
Harry said the lessons of the social media era should inform how emerging technology is approached, calling for greater transparency, choice, standards and accountability and saying that people and young people with lived experience must be at the center of the conversation.
Advertisement
“The good news: we proved pressure works,” Harry said. “The bad news: we proved how long we are willing to wait.”
“Technology and the humans in charge of it are going to promise us the world,” he continued. “They must be accountable for the world they actually deliver.”
Harry closed his remarks with a plea not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
“Two years ago, I brought these faces here as a warning,” he said. “I do not want to return with more. So this time, let’s move first.”
Harry’s return to the U.S. comes at a significant moment in his family’s new chapter. Since relocating to Britain in late August, the Duke of Sussex has quickly resumed a visible schedule of public engagements there, while Meghan and their children have largely remained out of the spotlight as they settle into their new home and school.
Just days before his New York appearance, Harry told PEOPLE that he was happy to be back in Britain.
Asked at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Gala Dinner and Awards on Sept. 17 how he was settling in, Harry told PEOPLE that it was “good to be back on British soil.”
His trip to New York marks his fourth public appearance in the span of a week, with his recent engagements centered around causes he has long championed. Following the Invictus event, he stepped out for the WellChild Awards in London on Sept. 21 before traveling to the U.S.
Harry’s latest trip also underscores the transatlantic life the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are maintaining following their move. While the family has established a new base in Britain, they have kept their Montecito home and continue to have professional, charitable and personal ties in the United States.
Harry previously appeared at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2024, when he gave a high-profile speech about the harmful effects of social media on young people, another cause for which he and Meghan have been vocal advocates.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
“These platforms are designed to create addiction,” Harry said at the time. “Young people are kept there by mindless, endless, numbing scrolling — being force-fed content that no child should ever be exposed to.”
This year’s Clinton Global Initiative meeting, themed “How Do We Get It Right?,” brings together leaders and public figures to address issues including artificial intelligence, climate and energy resilience, democracy, humanitarian response, economic opportunity and health. Other participants include Chrissy Teigen, Bill Nye and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
