Prince Harry spoke at a global conference hosted by the International Association of Privacy Professionals in Washington DC, where he participated in a discussion with Joe Jones, the IAPP's director of research and insights. The IAPP Global Summit is described as the world's largest annual gathering of digital responsibility professionals. During his keynote address, Harry launched a scathing attack on technology giants, drawing on his personal battles with media intrusion to condemn normalized exploitation across the tech sector. He underscored privacy as a foundational issue, asserting its crucial role in underpinning the trust, safety and the stability of our societies.
Harry's lived experiences with privacy in the royal spotlight partially contributed to the creation of The Parents' Network pilot in 2022. The initiative aims to connect parents and caregivers with shared experiences around social media harms, including trauma or suicide. Harry indicated plaintiffs in recent landmark platform liability cases involving Meta and YouTube are members of The Parents' Network, and he and Meghan spent time with impacted parties before and during platform liability proceedings.
I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with before having children.
Separately in Australia, Harry made an emotional visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, where he attempted his best Australian accent while praising the work of the Invictus Games. He was given a tour of the memorial and museum, received a handmade sign, and showed interest in an exhibition on the Ukraine War. Harry witnessed a Last Post Ceremony, laid a wreath, and put a poppy on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, making an Acknowledgement of Country at the start of his speech.
At personal moments with veterans, Harry cuddled and kissed a veteran's assistance dog called Gigi at a drinks reception for Invictus Australia supporters. He also made personal comments about being a dad to his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet at a men's mental health charity event in Melbourne, using his experience with Archie to advocate for men to be more open about their mental health struggles. Harry's talk at the Movember charity occurred on Wednesday at the Whitten Oval in Melbourne.
I see parenting evolving over time and that kids are an upgrade, but not to judge or blame previous generations.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle pursued separate activities, with MasterChef Australia announcing she would be featured as a guest judge on the cooking show, filming in Melbourne. She also joined fashion discovery platform OneOff as a participant and investor to create exclusive edits of her looks.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to travel to Australia in mid-April for engagements spanning private, business, and philanthropic activities, marking their first visit to Australia since their royal tour in 2018. Meghan is scheduled to appear as the special guest at a women-only 'Her Best Life' retreat in Sydney from April 17-19.
I wanted to cleanse myself of the past.
Harry's Washington DC remarks coincided with the announcement that King Charles and Queen Camilla will undertake a State Visit to the United States in April to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. It will be King Charles's first visit to the US as monarch and the first state visit by a British sovereign to America since 2007. However, Prince Harry will not travel to the East Coast to visit his father during King Charles's US state visit.
Family dynamics remain complex, with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle living in California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Harry and King Charles last met in September for a private tea at Clarence House. Harry has had a troubled relationship with King Charles and an ongoing rift with Prince William, which worsened post-Megxit and after his Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.
I felt a disconnection in the early days of fatherhood because my wife was creating life and I was there to witness it.
Legal battles continue against media organizations, with Prince Harry and others including Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Sir Elton John waiting to hear whether they have won their High Court cases against Associated Newspapers Limited for unlawful information-gathering. ANL strongly denies allegations of unlawful information-gathering. The trial includes allegations of voicemail interception, landline tapping and obtaining information by deception by private investigators, freelance journalists and ANL staff.
Harry has achieved previous legal victories, having been awarded £140,600 in damages by a judge from Mirror Group Newspapers in 2023 for unlawful information-gathering. He settled a claim against News Group Newspapers in 2025, receiving substantial damages and a full and unequivocal apology for intrusion and unlawful activities by The Sun.
The Invictus Games has developed into a global movement involving 22 nations and around 500 competitors.
Harry's privacy advocacy raises questions about what specific outcomes or policy changes he hopes to achieve through his work on privacy and online safety.
Several unknowns surround Harry's activities, including which specific technology giants or companies he targeted in his scathing attack during the IAPP summit. Additionally, while Australia hosted the Invictus Games in Sydney in 2018 and the next will be in Birmingham in July 2027, Harry was not accompanied by the Duchess of Sussex at the Invictus Games event in Canberra.
My son Archie would often cry when held if I was feeling stressed, suggesting Archie could 'pick up' on my energy.
Unknowns also include the current status and expected timeline for the High Court cases against Associated Newspapers Limited, as well as the specific amount of substantial damages and details of the apology in the News Group Newspapers settlement.
I drew on my personal battles with media intrusion to condemn normalised exploitation across the tech sector.
I believe digital governance professionals can ultimately prevail in finding answers to complex privacy and online safety questions with AI and emerging technologies.
I had no idea there were so many people working on digital governance issues.
I thank digital governance professionals for their work, comparing taking on powerful institutions to 'turning an oil tanker'.
I feel progress is being made on mitigating digital harms and that 'we are on the cusp of something transformational'.
Meghan and I started noting how everyday life was 'deeply affected' by the online landscape after moving to the U.S. in 2020.
Even one child is taking their own life because of the content that is being pushed to them through social media is fundamentally wrong.
I expect legal wins in platform liability cases will spur a flood of justice for thousands of plaintiffs seeking redress for platform harms.
One of the biggest hurdles to addressing children's online harms is a child's modern perception of privacy and safety.
I have spoken out about the profound impact of a lack of privacy, which I claim to have experienced 'from birth'.
I detailed the 'personal and reputational cost for me, my wife, and our children' incurred through legal battles against 'powerful institutions'.
I underscore privacy as a 'foundational issue' asserting its crucial role in underpinning the 'trust, safety and the stability of our societies'.
I have spent the past seven years in litigation against three media organisations in the UK over systemic and unlawful invasions of privacy.
In an ITV documentary in 2024, I described how my determination to fight the tabloids was a 'central piece' in destroying my relationship with my family.
I revealed I wished my family had joined together with me in my campaign against the tabloids.
I insist my legal fight was 'absolutely' worth it despite the 'personal and reputational cost' to me, Meghan Markle, and our children.
I described the 'worst examples of an industry that too often behaves as though it owns people's privacy'.