The Duke is set to miss out on his son Prince Archie’s special day when he turns 6 on May 6 – but it’s all for a very important reason, as he honours his late mother, Princess Diana
Prince Harry will be in Las Vegas on his son’s birthday(Image: Netflix)
Prince Harry loves nothing more than being a dad to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – but he is set to miss out on a major milestone next month as he honours his late mother, Princess Diana.
On May 6, Harry and Meghan’s son Archie will celebrate his 6th birthday. But his father will be away from the family home and instead he will be in Las Vegas to launch a new youth initiative with the Diana Award.
Given that Archie’s special day falls on a Tuesday – and he will likely be at school – Harry and Meghan will likely hold a weekend celebration instead. And the Duke will no doubt make sure he FaceTime his son to mark the occasion.
Harry is heading to Vegas to launch the Pledge To Invest drive, which aims to put a spotlight on the future of youth leadership and how forward-thinking businesses can support it. He will meet with two young people, who are holders of The Legacy Award in memory of his late mother – Sikander ‘Sonny’ Khan, from Michigan in the US, and Christina Williams, from Jamaica.
Sikander works in artificial intelligence at Microsoft and also heads up the Paani Project, an organisation that supports diverse humanitarian efforts in Pakistan, including the construction of over 20,000 wells. Christina, meanwhile, is an attorney and advocate from Jamaica who champions youth empowerment and marginalised groups’ equitable access to education, healthcare and technology.
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Harry will also be joined by Paul Fippsat, President of Global Customer Operations at ServiceNow, at the event, which is being hosted by Dr Tessy Ojo, the CEO of the Diana Award.
Dr Ojo said: “Companies that invest in youth leadership today are cultivating the workforce, innovators and consumers of tomorrow.
“The Diana Award is proud to launch Pledge To Invest – an opportunity for forward-thinking businesses to make a strategic, measurable and high-impact investment in the future of youth leadership.
“For over 25 years, The Diana Award has invested in young people, empowering them to tackle the pressing issues of our time.” Mr Fipps, meanwhile, said he is “proud to partner with Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and The Diana Award to provide a platform that encourages other business leaders to invest in young people”.
The Diana Award is an international award that honours young people who work to improve the lives of others. The award was launched in 1999 by the former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in honour of the late Princess.
Both Harry and his brother Prince William regularly attend Diana Awards events. In March this year, the future King attended the awards ceremony at the Science Museum in London.
In his touching speech, William spoke of remembering his mother through the work he and his wife Princess Kate are committed to. He said, “She taught me that everyone has the potential to give something back; that everyone in need deserves a supporting hand in life.
“That legacy is something that both Catherine and I have sought to focus on through our work, as have the 50,000 young people who have received a Diana Award over the past 25 years.
“I am so proud to see this belief of my mother’s manifested in the amazing young people receiving the Legacy Award tonight.”
Shortly after William’s speech, Harry also made a virtual appearance at the awards from his home in California. He spoke with the award recipients, virtually, to celebrate their accomplishments. Notably, Prince William departed before his brother’s appearance.
