Prince Harry opened up about his late mother Diana, the Princess of Wales, in a heartbreaking speech at a key summit where Bill Clinton, Serena Williams and Jeff Bezos were also among the guest speakers.
The Duke of Sussex attended the DealBook summit in New York, a high profile annual gathering of political, business and cultural leaders, on Thursday, in his latest solo engagement without his wife Meghan Markle.
Taking to the stage for an interview with New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, the prince shared gut-wrenching details about his experience with the media after the death of his mother in 1997.
He was asked about his “battles” with the press by Mr Sorkin, and in a passionate speech, he said: “I’ve had a lived experience since I was a kid.
“I’ve seen stories written about myself that aren’t exactly based on reality. I’ve seen stories about members of my family, friends, strangers, all sorts of people.”
He added that he found himself “questioning the validity” of information he saw in the press, adding that he started a “war” with the industry after Diana died in a car crash aged just 36 – four years younger than the Duke is now.
He said: “I was fighting myself. When you’re kind of trapped within this bubble it kind of feels like there’s no way out.”
He added that he felt “helpless” after the tragic incident, and battled an “inner turmoil” from a very young age.
He also answered questions on a variety of topics, including a discussion about banning social media for children – something Harry himself is against, as it could lead to school bullying and family arguements.
But he highlighted the need to keep children safe, and the importance of safeguarding.
Elsewhere in the summit, Bill Clinton discussed Joe Biden and the reason behind Kamala Harris’ nightmare US Election loss – the fact that she was a “stranger” to the electorate, coupled with her predecessor’s unpopularity.
He said: “It was almost impossible to think she could win if the president has an approval rating of under 40 per cent.
“I think she would have been a good president.”
