The Duke and Duchess of SusSєx made their first joint appearance in nearly three months today as they spoke about online violence against children – a cause that is deeply important to them.
Both wearing dark blazers with Remembrance poppies fastened on their lapels, the SusSєxes called for greater protections for ‘the most vulnerable in our world’ against the threat of digital violence and harm.
Analysing the video, body language expert Judi James told MailOnline: ‘The couple’s appearance and body language make it look as though they have turned back the clock to the times when they appeared as a royal couple at the Remembrance service in the UK.’
Ms James said that it felt like when ‘Harry was very much the alpha prince and Meghan was taking her lead from him as she learned the ropes’.
She added: ‘Meghan looks less ᴀssertive here and she appears to be copying and mirroring her husband, taking her cues from him.
Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, both wore dark blazers with poppy pins fastened on their lapels, in a video message about online violence against children
The SusSєxes’ last official appearance together was in August, when Harry and Meghan embarked on a four-day tour of South America (pictured in Colombia in August)
She added: ‘Their side-by-side poses straight to the camera look regally formal and official. They wear matching, tailored navy jackets that make a feature of the poppies in their lapels.
‘Harry is emphatically in royal military mode, standing unsmiling, with his hands behind his back and rising up onto the balls of his feet and dropping down again as though briefing the troops.
Prince Harry and Meghan join Prince William and Princess Catherine at a Remembrance Day service in London in 2018
‘His tone is serious, authoritative, concerned and ᴀssertive. He barely glances at Meghan and the first time he does his facial expression looks severe although it softens during the second glance.’
The SusSєxes’ last official appearance together was in August, when Harry and Meghan embarked on a four-day tour of South America.
The new video message appears to have been filmed in California, where the SusSєxes reside with their children, Archie and Lilibet.
Harry opened their address at the inaugural ministerial conference on ‘ending violence against children’ by saying: ‘We are at a crossroads where the urgency to reᴀssess and redefine our approach to protecting children has become increasingly evident.
‘While the necessity has always been apparent, it is now time to translate that awareness into meaningful action.’
Meghan added that while ‘greater connectivity and advanced technology’ have obvious advantages, they also ‘compel us to better understand how digital violence against children is manifesting itself’ in 2024.
She continued: ‘At the Archewell Foundation, we engage with young people, families, and experts worldwide learning how every aspect of a child’s life – from their livelihood to their physical and mental wellbeing – now operate within an online economy that has the power to both shape, and misshape, our connections.’
Harry and Meghan launched the Parents’ Network, an online campaign aimed at tackling harm caused to children online, in August this year.
Their initiative aims to help offer a ‘safe and supportive community [which] is available to all caregivers navigating the complex digital world’.
Harry opened their address by saying: ‘We are at a crossroads where the urgency to reᴀssess and redefine our approach to protecting children has become increasingly evident’
Meghan added that ‘advanced technology… compels us to better understand how digital violence against children is manifesting itself’
Harry and Meghan gave their first broadcast interview together in three years this August, when they sat down with CBS News host Jane Pauley to discuss the Parents’ Network initiative.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning about the dangers of social media and suicide ideation
They issued the video on their Archewell website following a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child safety which took place in Washington yesterday – and saw politicians warn social media giants: ‘You have blood on your hands’.
Harry and Meghan’s last official appearance together was in August, when they embarked on a four-day tour of Colombia
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put on a stylish show before hosting a World Mental Health Day event in October 2023
The Duke urged tech bosses to ‘stop sending children content you wouldn’t want your own children to see’.
Taking to the stage at the event, Meghan admitted that she had been left in tears by some of the ‘devastating’ stories shared by the parents who took part in the summit
Meanwhile Harry thanked all of the mothers and fathers who offered to speak out about the losses that they have suffered
The Duchess said she and her husband are focusing on what they can do behind the scenes to make social media use ‘safer, better and more positive’ and that the couple have spoken to tech executives about the issue.
She added: ‘People are getting hurt – and people, specifically children, are dying.
‘A year ago we met some of the families, not all of them. At that time, it was impossible to not be in tears as I’m sure so many of you have been today hearing these stories.