Meghan Markle and Prince Harry looked stiff in their first joint appearance in almost two months.
In a video shared at the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children in Colombia, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stood firmly next to each other and looked directly into the camera as they promoted online safety for children.
“We are at a crossroads where the urgency to reassess and redefine our approach to protecting children has become increasingly clear,” Harry began in the video shared on Thursday and obtained by The Independent.
“While the necessity has always been apparent, now is the time to translate that awareness into meaningful action.”
Markle chimed in by saying that they “recognize that today’s reality is characterized by greater connectivity and advanced technology, which of course has many positive qualities; thus, it also forces us to better understand how digital violence against children manifests itself in this age.”
“At the Archewell Foundation, we work with young people, families and experts around the world, learning about how every aspect of a child’s life – from their livelihood to their physical and mental well-being – now operates within an online economy that has both the power to shape and distort our contacts,” she added.
Markle, 43, and Harry, 40, founded the Archewell Foundation in October 2020 to work with organizations and leaders to solve issues such as mental health, emergency aid and creating safer social media for children.
The foundation specifically launched the Parents Network initiative to help combat cyberbullying, family supports with grief after facing the effects of social media and protecting children’s mental health with the increased use of social media.
“We know it’s important to support parents to reduce digital violence against children,” Harry said. “That’s why earlier this year we launched The Parents Network, a support network for families coping with online harm.”
The pair have previously discussed the initiative, both together and separately. Harry highlighted the program by himself at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in September after the two chatted with “CBS Sunday Morning” the month before.
The couple’s joint video marked the first time they have been seen in public together in nearly two months.
They were last seen smiling while sitting in the back of a car leaving Tyler Perry’s star-studded 55th birthday party in Montecito, Caif., on Sept. 14.
Markle and Harry attended the event with close friends Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, who drove in a separate car together.
