Prince Harry speaks about challenging ‘the status quo’ as he appears in Las Vegas

Prince Harry spent part of his son Prince Archie’s sixth birthday in Las Vegas.

It wasn’t a night at the casino for the Duke of Sussex, who appeared on stage during an artificial intelligence conference, promoting a new initiative for The Diana Award.

The royal still has a role with the UK charity created in honour of his later mother, Princess Diana, alongside his brother Prince William.

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The father-of-two said he was inspired by the next generation, who were challenging “the status quo”.

“This generation isn’t waiting for permission to lead – they are already doing it,” Prince Harry said in a panel at Knowledge 25.

“They bring emotional intelligence, social awareness, and an honesty about mental health that previous generations struggled to express.

“What sets them apart isn’t just their boldness, but their refusal to settle for the status quo … If we’re serious about a better future, we need to stop underestimating them and start listening.”

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The duke’s strong message came just hours after a preliminary hearing in his latest court case against the UK tabloids, as he pursues justice for alleged “unlawful information gathering”.

They also come just days after the ongoing rift with his family was thrust back into the spotlight by his BBC interview.

The 40-year-old, who appeared on stage alongside Diana Award CEO of Dr Tessy Ojo also said more needed to be done for true inclusivity.

“Through The Diana Award, I’ve had the privilege of meeting young people who have turned adversity into action,” Prince Harry said.

“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.”

Prince Harry has championed inclusivity through society even more since he began dating Meghan Markle in 2016, following a racial backlash to his girlfriend at the time.

The Duke of Sussex, who went on to marry Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in 2018, later spoke about the incident opening his eyes to unconscious bias.

“Unconscious bias, from my understanding, having had the upbringing and the education that I have, I had no idea what it was,” Harry said during the GQ Heroes Conference in 2020.

“I had no idea it existed and then, sad as it is to say, it took me many, many years to realise it, especially then living a day or a week in my wife’s shoes.”

In a 2023 interview with Good Morning America, he also discussed how the royal family could use his learnings to help modernise the establishment.

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“I think the same process that I went through regarding my own unconscious bias would be hugely beneficial to them,” he told Michael Strahan.

“It’s not racism, but unconscious bias if not confronted, if not acknowledged, if not learned and grown from, that can then move into racism.

“And the way that I understand it is that we all want to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”

Prince Harry’s appearance on stage in Las Vegas was part of The Diana Award’s new Pledge to Invest initiative.

It’s not known if the royal flew straight back to his Los Angeles home after his panel discussion to mark his son’s birthday, or how the Sussex family celebrated the day.

However, Meghan offered some insight, sharing a new photo of the birthday boy on social media.

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