Prince Harry kicked off his involvement in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) events today, attending the opening of the Commonwealth Youth Forum at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London.
Before today’s engagement, it was announced that The Queen has appointed her soon-to-be married grandson as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. This role will involve Harry highlighting and supporting the work of young people across the Commonwealth nations, several of which he has previously visited. Most recently, Prince Harry has visited Canada and Australia through his involvement in the Invictus Games, and he also visited 7 Caribbean countries in 2016 on behalf of his grandmother.
Prince Harry was joined by British Prime Minister Theresa May to speak to young people about key issues (Kensington Palace)
In his new role, Harry attended today’s Youth Forum opening; the Youth Forum brings together 500 young people from various parts of the Commonwealth, allowing them to exchange ideas, develop initiatives and also demonstrate the power which young people have in creating the future of this group of nations.
Charles’ youngest son was joined today by Prime Minister Theresa May; last week, it was confirmed that the PM, nor any other political leader, would not be attending Prince Harry’s forthcoming wedding to Meghan Markle, reflecting the couple’s desire to have a more intimate and personal day.
No invites to the #RoyalWedding2018 for Theresa May, Donald Trump or the Obamas. No politicians going at all, in fact. Decision was made in consultation with the govt and reflects Prince Harry’s position and couple’s more intimate day at Windsor pic.twitter.com/iAjEIxkbuY
— The Crown Chronicles (@crownchronicles) April 10, 2018
Prince Harry and Theresa May met with young people who are involved in the Commonwealth Youth Council and also the Youth Taskforce. Guests had the chance to discuss issues which are being promoted by young people throughout the CHOGM events, which will be held throughout this week.
The roundtable discussion focussed on the theme ‘Powering our Common Future’, which is based on the overall CHOGM 2018 theme of ‘Towards a Common Future’. This particular theme aims to acknowledge the potential within the Commonwealth’s youth – over 60% of its population are aged 30 or younger.
As well as participing in the discussion, the new Commonwealth Youth Ambassador made a speech, pledging his own support to young people and also adding that his fiancée is excited to join him in this work.
Harry stated: “In my new role, I will work to support The Queen, my father The Prince of Wales, and my brother William, all of whom know that young people are the answer to the challenges of today. I am also incredibly grateful that the woman I am about to marry, Meghan, will be joining me in this work, of which she too is hugely excited to take part in”.
Harry’s full speech can be read here.
After his speech, The Queen’s grandson then presented the award for Commonwealth Person of the Year; this year’s recipient was Usman Iftikhar, who is from Australia. This award is dedicated to showcasing the work of ‘outstanding’ young people from across the Commonwealth of nations.
This week, Prince Harry will attend other CHOGM events alongside his brother and he will also be joined by Meghan later in the week. As well as the busy CHOGM schedule, Royal Baby Watch also continues – keep up-to-date with The Crown Chronicles during this hectic week for the British Royals.
Prince Harry attends the Commonwealth Youth Forum during the CHOGM events (Kensington Palace)
