Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are 'Unsuitable' to Receive Humanitarian Award, Says Royal Expert

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are due to be honored at the Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Gala in New York City on Thursday, October 9, where they will accept the award for Humanitarians of the Year for their efforts in restoring mental health in others.

However, when royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams weighed in on the matter, he suggested the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are undeserving of the prestigious award after their years-long history of airing out issues present from within the royal residences.

“Despite the work they have undoubtedly done to highlight mental health issues… surely, they are the wrong winners for this sort of award,” the expert explained to a news outlet. “Both Meghan and Harry are estranged from their families and have launched deeply destructive attacks on the royal family for their personal and financial gain. Surely, winners of such an award should be positive in approach.”

Fitzwilliams continued, “It states that Meghan is a ‘cultural catalyst for positive change’ and lists Harry’s memoir, Spare, among his achievements. What their foundation has done in the field of mental health is, of course, to be welcomed. However, their treatment of their respective families makes them unsuitable recipients of a humanitarian award.”

Harry and Meghan were given the honor for their efforts in creating a safe place online for young individuals and for their work in advancing mental well-being on a global level.

Their remarkable Archwell Foundation mission to “show up, do good” was a core reason why the former royal couple was honored as Humanitarians of the Year. The foundation was launched in 2020. According to a quote from Harry and Meghan, which was shared on the organization’s site, their intentions for supporters are to help “change our communities,” as they believe “all of us can change the world.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also launched The Parents’ Network in 2024, where they help to support families impacted by the effects of online abuse.

“We are The Parents’ Network. A group of parents who have first-hand knowledge of the pain and destruction caused by social media use,” the foundation’s site says. “Each of us have been through something no parent should ever have to experience, and our mission is to prevent anyone else from suffering the way we have.”