Prince Harry steps out for secret solo New York outing without Meghan Markle

Prince Harry has stepped out for a secret solo engagement in New York City, just hours before receiving a prestigious award.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in the Big Apple for a series of engagements surrounding their mental health advocacy, with co-founders of the Archewell Foundation set to receive the Project Healthy Minds' Humanitarians of the Year Award tonight in recognition of their campaigns to make the online world a safer place for families and young people.

Before their rare joint appearance, Harry undertook a secret solo outing last night for an important cause that he holds close to his heart.

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Harry joined Movember - the leading global men's health non-profit - to discuss what needs to be done for American men who are struggling with their mental health.

The panel took place at the Australian American Association in New York City where a report called The Real Face of Men's Health: USA from the Movember Institute of Men’s Health was launched, which found 53% of men in the US are dying prematurely before their 75th birthday.

Journalist Brooke Baldwin moderated a conversation between Prince Harry and a group of researchers to discuss the dire state of men’s mental health in the US.

Prince Harry, who has spent over a decade working with veterans and advocating for mental health, spoke about a pattern he’s witnessed across communities, noting the profound isolation men experience when they believe no one will understand what they’re going through.

“Yet when I speak to men, the same struggles keep coming up,” he said, “Which tells me that the weight they carry isn’t uncommon. The biggest barrier is the belief that no one will understand. Loneliness convinces you you’re the only one, which is rarely true.”

Harry also called out the impact social media has on the mental health of young men, saying he believes “too many young men are being raised by algorithms that make them feel powerless and hopeless, rather than real mentors.”

He went on to note that the role models young men need aren’t necessarily celebrities, but dads, coaches, and friends who choose honesty over silence, as he said: “They are the real superheroes.”

“I found myself speaking to many veterans and sitting down with them I realized the silence is killing people,” he said, adding, “Stamping out the stigma globally, we’ve come a long way. Access to therapy is still a massive problem.”

Harry and Meghan, co-founders of the Archewell Foundation, will receive the Project Healthy Minds' Humanitarians of the Year Award tonight, accepting the special honour at the non-profit organisation's World Mental Health Day Gala, before both stepping out for another New York City engagement tomorrow.