Prince Harry: Princess Diana would be fighting to end racism

1 July 2020

Prince Harry has claimed his mother, the late Princess Diana, would be "fighting" alongside people of colour to end "institutional racism".

Prince Harry

The 35-year-old royal has spoken in memory of his late mother - who passed away in 1997 - amid the Black Lives Matter protests, insisting she would be standing up for "people who need it" if she were still alive today.

Harry made his comments in a video for The Diana Award, which is honouring six young people with this year's honour, which is named on behalf of the late Princess of Wales.

In the clip, he said: "I am so incredibly proud to be part of these awards as they honour the legacy of my mother and bring out the very best in people like you.

"I know that my mother has been an inspiration to many of you and I can assure you, she would have been fighting in your corner. Like many of you, she never took the easy route, or the popular one, or the comfortable one. But she stood for something and she stood up for people who needed it.

"Right now we are seeing situations around the world where division, isolation and anger are dominating, as pain and trauma come to the surface, but I see the greatest hope in people like you."

Harry went on to mention his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and the couple's recent involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.

He added: "My wife said recently that our generation and the ones before us haven't done enough to right the wrongs of the past. I too am sorry, sorry that we haven't got the world to the place that you deserve it to be.

"Institutional racism has no place in our societies yet it is still endemic. Unconscious bias must be acknowledged without blame to create a better world for all of you. I want you to know that we are committed to being a part of the solution and to being part of the change that you are all leading."

And the royal said both he and his brother, Prince William, are "proud" to award the six recipients with their accolade.

He said: "You are six young people that my brother and I are proud to specifically recognise tonight. It is your voice that is far more important than mine."

The video, which was posted to Instagram, was captioned: "The Duke of Sussex, on behalf of him and his brother, surprised our changemakers with a congratulatory video message during the #2020DianaAwards. The Duke gave special mention to those Diana Award recipients who have been awarded for their work on issues related to race and injustice. In particular, The Duke highlighted the work of 24-year-old James Frater from London, UK, who is tackling racial inequality by creating initiatives to increase the representation of black students at university. @sussexroyal @kensingtonroyal #ShareTheMicNow #BlackLivesMatter #YoungAndBlack (sic)"