Prince Harry, no stranger to commenting on US politics, let his opinion be known during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City for Nelson Mandela Day.
The 37-year-old Duke of Sussex, son of slain Princess Diana and Prince Charles of the UK, claimed that overturning Roe v Wade was part of a “global assault on democracy and freedom.”
Harry and his wife Meghan were seen in public for the first time since they celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in the UK last month. They appeared at the UN where Harry delivered a speech to delegates on poverty and climate change, among other issues.
His comments were heard by a mostly empty chamber at the UN, but were broadcast on the news and circulated on social media.
In other comments, Harry emotionally shared that a photograph of his mother meeting Nelson Mandela in 1997 is featured on his wall and he can never forget it.
The meeting, which focused on several global concerns, was principally a celebration of Nelson Mandela Day.
Prince Harry made references to the pandemic, and said, “This has been a painful year in a painful decade. We are living through a pandemic that continues to ravage communities in every corner of the globe.”
He criticized the world’s inaction on climate change and blamed the poor response on climate deniers. He said, “Climate change [is] wreaking havoc on our planet with most vulnerable suffering most of all. The few weaponizing lies and disinformation at the expense of the many.”
Although members of the British royal family are expected to be politically neutral, it is not the first time Harry and Meghan have experienced pushback due to their comments on American politics. During the 2020 presidential election, they encouraged US voters to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity in the most important election of our life.”
Harry remembered Mandela as “A man who had endured the very worst of humanity – vicious racism and state-sponsored brutality. A man who had lost 27 years with his children and family that he would never get back.”