Prince Harry made an appearance in Las Vegas as he launched a new youth initiative for the Diana Award – his first public outing since giving a bombshell interview to the BBC after losing his UK security appeal

Prince Harry has been seen for the first time since his controversial interview in which he claimed his father, the King, is not speaking to him. The Duke of Sussex appeared at an event in Las Vegas yesterday, where he launched a new youth initiative with the Diana Award—which was set up in his late mother’s honour.

He took part in a conversation with two young people who are holders of The Legacy Award on the same day his son Archie turned six. His trip to Vegas came just days after he caused ructions with his lengthy interview on Friday in response to losing a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK.

Harry with Dr Tessy Ojo, Sikander ‘Sonny’ Khan and Christina Williams at the Diana Award event ( 
Image:
The Diana Award  )

The duke, who appeared emotional and close to tears during much of the sit-down chat, described his court defeat as a “good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up” and expressed hopes of a reconciliation with his family.

But Harry’s decision to speak out appears to have worsened the chances of an end to his estrangement, amid suggestions the King, who is still being treated for cancer, and the Prince of Wales will fear more than ever that any conversation with the duke would end up in the public domain.

Las Vegas is famously the destination of a raucous road trip Harry took in 2012, with the escapade ending with photos of the naked prince, who was frolicking with a woman in his hotel room after a game of strip billiards, being splashed on front pages of newspapers around the world and on celebrity gossip websites.

However, last night he helped launch the Pledge To Invest drive, which aims to put a spotlight on the future of youth leadership and how forward-thinking businesses can support it. He chatted with Sikander ‘Sonny’ Khan, from Michigan in the US, and Christina Williams, from Jamaica, as well as Paul Fipps, of Service Now, at the Knowledge 2025 event.

Harry helped launch the Diana Award’s Pledge To Invest drive ( 
Image:
The Diana Award  )
During the event, Harry asked young leaders about the experiences in the workplace. He told the audience: “Through The Diana Award, I’ve had the privilege of meeting young people who have turned adversity into action. That’s not just inspiring—it’s the kind of untapped potential we can’t afford to overlook. Far too many young people are locked out of leadership pipelines because we’ve failed to build truly inclusive and accessible pathways.”

He also added: “We’re in an era now where we are looking for more companies to be serving the greater good – the majority, not the minority. Every single young person has potential. It’s just about unlocking that in those individuals. And through The Diana Award, we can join those dots and make that connection.

“From a younger generation standpoint, in an apathetic world, there’s more empathy in this generation than I’ve ever seen before. And I’ve spent most of my years spending as much time as I can with young people. It’s the empathy, the authenticity, the truth, the honesty and the fearlessness as well. When they stand up for themselves, and stand up in their communities. And that is what we need. We need fearless leadership. So I tip my hat to both of you and what you represent.”

According to the Harry’s website Sussex.com, his participation in yesterday’s event “underscores his continued commitment to redefining how we invest in the future”. It also adds that Harry “continues the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, whose unwavering belief in the power of young people remains at the heart of this mission”.

Harry says he continues to carry on the legacy of his late mother Princess Diana ( 
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The Diana Award  )Harry’s appearance comes just after he lost his Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK and said in the TV interview he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.

He failed in his appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim against the Home Office, over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the UK. “But 2020, when that decision happened, I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe it,” said Harry.

He added: “I thought, with all the disagreements and all of the chaos that’s happening, the one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe. And not only did they decide to remove my security in the UK, but they also signalled to every single government around the world not to protect us.”

He also told the BBC: “Everybody knew that they were putting us at risk in 2020 and they hoped that me knowing that risk would force us to come back.”

The duke said the protection given members of the monarchy was a form of “control”, saying: “I think what really worries me more than anything else about today’s decision, depending on what happens next, it set a new precedent that security can be used to control members of the family. And effectively what it does is imprison other members of the family from being able to choose a different life.”