Meghan Markle and Prince Harry say Archie and Lilibet are 'incredibly grateful' in surprise new video

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry say Archie and Lilibet are 'incredibly grateful' in surprise new video

The fund has backed 26 youth-led initiatives with grants ranging between $25,000 and $200,000.

Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund
Sam Montgomery

By Sam Montgomery


Published: 02/08/2023

- 15:24

Updated: 03/08/2023

- 08:38

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised the next generation of technology leaders with congratulatory phone calls

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have astonished bright sparks in the digital world with congratulatory phone calls, in a new video released on Wednesday.

The Sussexes dialled US recipients of the first Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund grants, of which the couple’s Archewell Foundation is a founding member.


Putting on a relaxed and united display, the pair noted that their children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, were “incredibly grateful” for the young technology leaders’ work.

On one of the calls, Prince Harry, 38, said: "Thank you for doing everything that you do. Our kids especially are incredibly grateful."

The total value of grants given out by Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund was $2million.

Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund

Meghan, 41, then cheerily chimed in: "They don't know it yet, but they will!"

It is the first time that the royal couple have been seen in public since an award ceremony in New York in May.

In the first batch of investments, the fund has backed 26 youth-led initiatives with grants ranging between $25,000 and $200,000.

The total value of these grants given out by Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund was $2million.

Among those chosen for financial backing, and to have received a call from the Sussexes, was Sam Hiner, the executive director of the Young People's Alliance Education Fund.

The Sussexes put on a united front

Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund

Hiner told People magazine: "What I appreciated is that sometimes it feels like we're not as recognized for the advocacy we do as young people.

"I really appreciated that they saw the importance of the work that we were doing and were speaking to the importance of young people getting engaged in the democratic process."

The Sussexes were pictured sat in the garden of their Montecito mansion with the caption 'Harry and Meghan,' omitting any reference to royalty.

Another recipient, Trisha Prabhu, explained her organisation Rethink Citizens' mission to the Sussexes.

Prabhu said: "It was like young people were empowered and emboldened to say things to me online that they would never say to me in person.

SUSSEXES LATEST:

The video comes amid rumours of friends abandoning the Sussexes

Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund

"And so my vision was, can we actually stop the cyber bullying at the source with the cyber bully via a behavioural approach that actually teaches young people to pause and rethink."

Harry responded: "This is amazing. This is exactly why we do what we do. This is exactly why the Youth Power Fund was created."

Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund co-founder, Emma Leiken, is quoted by Town and Country as saying: "Societies globally are wrestling with major issues like the youth mental health crisis and the decay of our information environment.

"What and who can we trust online? Can online spaces be truly safe and affirm wellbeing?

"And what new systems can we create with, instead of for, young people?

Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund

"These questions touch on issues ranging from platform accountability to cybersecurity, privacy, digital literacy, data equity, algorithmic bias, and digital well-being and that's what this fund's grantees will tackle."

In the new video, the couple told another phone call recipient, Tazin Khan Norelius, that they were "really proud of the work" her organisation was doing.

The founder of Cyber Collective was thankful for Meghan's wish to pass on a message to her father, given that he was the inspiration behind the organisation's inception.

Norelius told People: "She said, 'Tell Baba I say hi!' Which was really sweet. The impetus of me starting this organization, one of the reasons was because dad got hacked.

"When I was able to share that story, I think that maybe resonated with them, and they congratulated me. When I told my dad, he was just so excited about it."

You may like