Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first joint appearance in months

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked stiff and distant in their first joint appearance in nearly two months.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle looked stiff in their first joint appearance in nearly two months.

In a video shared at the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Violence Against Children in Colombia, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex firmly stood next to each other and looked straight toward the camera as they promoted online safety for children.

“We are at a crossroads where the urgency to reassess and redefine our approach to protecting children has become increasingly evident,” Harry began in the video shared Thursday and obtained by the Independent.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first joint appearance in 2 months in a video to promote online safety for children. Picture: Archewell

“While the necessity has always been apparent, it’s now time to translate that awareness into meaningful action.”

Markle chimed in by saying they “recognise that today’s reality is marked by greater connectivity and advanced technology, which, of course, has many positives; at which, it also compels us to better understand how digital violence against children is manifesting itself in this age.”

“At the Archewell Foundation, we engage with young people, families and experts worldwide, learning about how every aspect of a child’s life — from their livelihood to their physical and mental wellbeing — now operates within an online economy that has both the power to shape and misshape our connections,” she added.

This was the first time the couple were seen together in nearly two months.

Markle, 43, and Harry, 40, founded the Archewell Foundation in October 2020 to work with organisations and leaders to resolve issues like mental heath, emergency relief and creating safer social media for children.

The foundation specifically launched the Parents Network initiative that helps combat cyber-bullying, supporting families with grief after facing the effects from social media and protecting children’s mental health with the increased use of social media.

“We know that supporting parents is essential in reducing digital violence against children,” Harry said. “That’s why earlier this year, we launched the Parents Network, a support network for families dealing with online harm.”

Their firm demeanour was in stark contrast to the loved-up display they put on during their tour of Colombia in August. Picture: Raul Arboleda / AFP

The couple have always been inseparable, often being very handsy during public appearances. Picture: Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images

The couple has previously discussed the initiative, both together and separately. Harry highlighted the program by himself at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in September after they both chatted with CBS Sunday Morning the month before.

The couple’s joint video marked the first time they’ve publicly been seen together in nearly two months.

They were last seen smiling while sitting in the back of a car leaving Tyler Perry’s star-studded 55th birthday party in Montecito, California, on September 14.

Markle and Harry attended the event alongside close friends Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, who drove in a separate car together.

This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first joint appearance in months