Prince Harry's call to action: Breaking the silence on men's mental health
Prince Harry speaks passionately about the men’s mental health crisis.
Image: Bang Showbiz
Today is World Mental Health Day, and Prince Harry is using his voice to shine a light on one of the biggest issues men face: silence.
The Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance in New York earlier this week, speaking passionately about the men’s mental health crisis at an event hosted by Movember, the world’s largest men’s health charity.
Drawing on his own experiences, especially his time in the military, Harry noted that he found himself speaking to many veterans and realised that “silence is killing people.”
He spoke about how stigma still lingers, saying that even though the world is more open about mental health than before, access to therapy remains “a massive problem.”
What struck him most, he said, was how many men feel isolated.
“The same struggles keep coming up,” he explained, “which tells me that the weight they carry isn’t uncommon. The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand.”
Harry urged men to look for connection and to talk, not hide.
He said the real role models for young men aren’t celebrities but “dads, coaches, and friends who choose honesty over silence.”
He also voiced concern about how social media is shaping young men’s mental health, warning that “too many young men are being raised by algorithms that make them feel powerless and hopeless, rather than real mentors.”
A day after that powerful talk, Harry and Meghan made a rare public appearance together at the Project Healthy Minds annual World Mental Health Day Gala in New York.
The couple received the Humanitarians of the Year Award for their ongoing efforts to promote mental health awareness and safer digital spaces for children through their Archewell Foundation.
“Tonight, we are all here together to focus on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time,” Harry told the audience.
He also revealed a disturbing statistic, saying the Social Media Victims Law Centre is representing 4,000 families whose children have been harmed or lost to social media.
“If these deaths and harm to children were ‘unintended consequences’ ten years ago,” he asked, “then what are they now?”
Meghan spoke about their mission as parents, sharing that she and Harry are constantly thinking about “how to embrace technology’s benefits while safeguarding against its dangers.” But she admitted that separating the good from the bad “is rapidly becoming impossible.”
For Harry, mental health has long been a personal mission.
From founding the Invictus Games to speaking openly about his own therapy journey, he has made it clear that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.