Prince Harry speaks about mental health with Diana Award winners in New York as he continues busy solo trip without Meghan

Prince Harry has appeared on stage in New York today to discuss mental health and climate change with two young winners of a legacy award given in Princess Diana‘s memory.

The Duke of Sussex said his late mother would be ‘proud’ of them as he took part in the 14th Concordia Annual Summit in support of The Diana Award on his eight-day solo trip to the East Coast and the UK.

Harry, 40, who cracked his knuckles and looked nervous as he sat down on stage, spoke of the importance of mental wellness at an event where participants talked about their climate anxiety.

He personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received The Legacy Award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, joking: ‘For some reason I’ve been given the microphone to ask the questions’.

He told them: ‘I applaud you for having the confidence to be on this stage. I know my mother would be incredibly proud of you guys. Your activism is true to how my mother lived her life’. 

Harry, wearing a navy suit and tie with a Diana Award pin on his lapel, asked: ‘Do you feel like leaders and people in positions of power are listening to you?’, adding that he wanted the The Diana Award to help their campaigning to tackle climate change and bring influence around the world.

And when asked what gives him hope for the future he said: ‘I have said it before years ago and I’ll say it again. The younger generation is what gives me hope. The courage you have gives me hope. Everyone of us needs courage to move the dial in this world, probably more than ever. We need to listen and act on what you say because it is your future that will be stolen and that is unacceptable’.

Prince Harry on stage in New York to discuss mental health with two young winners of an award in his mother’s memory. 

Much of the conversation was about climate change. Harry looked slightly nervous and cracked his knuckles

Harry interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received The Legacy Award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales

His decision to jet off alone to New York to meet royals and celebrities before a solo trip to Britain shows he is determined to ‘carve out’ new opportunities and ‘assert himself’ after turning 40, experts told MailOnline today.

The Duke of Sussex is away from Montecito for the next eight days and went to a California benefit organised by Kevin Costner on Saturday, without his American wife.

Last night he attended a dinner organised by the World Health Organization (WHO), greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium warmly on arrival. 

On his trip to New York this week he will also support pet charities and businesses including African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst. And this weekend he will fly to London for his annual visit to support WellChild at their awards ceremony, again without his wife. 

This month he is said to have planned a lads-only weekend away with friends to mark his 40th birthday, but was with a smiling Meghan leaving a ‘double birthday’ event, held for their friend Tyler Perry, the night before the Prince’s own big day.

Biographer Phil Dampier, author of Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words, said: ‘Harry sometimes feels like a spare part and he often looks unhappy when he’s out with Meghan at events in California. I think he has reached a point where he wants more for himself. He’s turned 40 and must be asking himself what the future holds. 

‘I think he’s desperate to find some new meaning to his life and that seems to involve branching out on his own more.

‘He has this few days in New York and then he’s heading to London for the WellChild event with which he’s been involved for years.

‘He clearly wants to find some causes he can get involved in and give his life some purpose.

‘Meghan doesn’t want to come back to this country, so he will have to fly solo’.

Prince Harry is seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium during a high-level dinner on ‘Violence against children and its impact on mental health’ in New York City with WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the background

Prince Harry presents an award to Helicopter Pilot /first responder Loren Courtney on Saturday

Prince Harry and a smiling Meghan Markle are seen leaving a ‘double birthday’ event, held for their friend Tyler Perry, the night before the Prince’s own 40th birthday earlier this month

Harry has reportedly been contacting some of his old friends ahead of his UK visit.

‘I’m sure he’s lacking some mates he can go out with for a beer and truly relax. The more he does things on his own and carves out some new projects, the more likely it is he can heal himself and eventually some of the divisions with his family, but it’s going to be a long road’, Mr Dampier said.

Royal expert and investigative journalist Tom Bower has said that Harry’s next week away shows he is trying ‘to assert himself’ alone.

He said: ‘It’s not just Harry doing repeated solo events which suggests a shift in his lifestyle and strategy to assert himself – not least in Britain’.

Without Meghan by his side last night, Harry was seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium, actor Forest Whitaker, several UN Agency Heads, and other dignitaries, for an event to honour survivors of childhood violence.

All are in New York for the UN General Assembly, which is set to kick off Monday morning in Manhattan.

Harry chats with singer Richard Marx

Hours before they attended Tyler’s party, Meghan was spotted at the George Zajfen Tennis Tournament in Los Angeles, where she wore over $40,000 worth of clothes and jewelry

Officials from countries like Sweden, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Canada, Iceland, and Brazil were also present, as were survivors of child abuse to discuss the important issue.

The gathering comes a day after Harry attended Kevin Costner ‘s charity concert at his beachfront estate solo, all the way across the country in California while Meghan was said to be ‘sick.’

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says Harry is looking for new roles.

‘What is his real role now? His achievements are undoubtedly the Invictus Games and his patronages of Wellchild, for which he is soon making a solo trip to Britain, and Sentebale, in Lesotho. All of these were operative before he married Meghan, he said.

His will be attending a series of events at in New York, also solo. This is clearly an attempt to boost his profile.

‘There are his solo trips to Britain and a series of rumours he would like to spend more time there and even that he might be interested in some royal duties. These are undoubtedly exaggerated, but they highlight his increasingly awkward situation.

‘He has a deep rift with his family. His New York appearances may give him a brief boost’.

Harry is seen her with the head of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Actor Whitaker and Queen Mathilde

The event organized by WHO, and was attended by politicians like Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium, seen beside Harry here. Meghan was noticeably absent after missing out on actor Kevin Costner’s house party due to being ‘sick’ the day before 

Harry is in New York this week and in London next Monday. 

‘Violence takes many forms – both physical and psychological – and each leaves a lasting impact on those who experience it,’ MC of the event Will Poulter told attendees at last night’s event.

‘With one billion children around the world experiencing such violence, the statistics are staggering, but they represent real lives.

‘It’s our collective responsibility to ensure that these children are protected.’

Also in attendance were high-profile figures like Whitaker and Shudu Musida, who, along with the survivors, helped pen an open letter last week demanding urgent action from world leaders to end violence against children.

This comes ahead of the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which is set to take place in Colombia in November.

Signatories of the letter included Harry, Mathilde, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who was seen conversing with the Duke of Sussex and actor at length during the event.

The Belgian royal spoke to the crowd as well, urging for more to be done to held kids facing corporal punishment, bullying, online violence and sexual abuse. 

Other forms of violence singled out by the group include gang violence, child marriage and child labor.

Forrest Whittaker was present as well, and is seen here conversing with Prime Minister De Croo and the Duke of Sussex 

The Belgian royal posed alongside The Last King of Scotland star at the star studded event, which comes just hours before delegates are set to pour into Midtown Manhattan Monday for the first day of the UN General Assembly

The Belgian royal spoke to the crowd as well, urging for more to be done to held kids facing corporal punishment, bullying, online violence and sexual abuse

Meghan, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen, after championing efforts designed to halt online bullying earlier this summer.  

In August, the Duchess was seen lovingly clutching her husband’s knee on the set of CBS News Sunday Morning, as she detailed how she struggled with suicidal thoughts because of abuse she received as a working royal

She told host Jane Pauley how she hope her candor will help youngsters around the world navigate similar feelings, while reaching out to her spouse for support.

‘When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey – certainly part of mine – is being able to be really open about it,’ Markle said as Harry, 39, looked on.    

‘I really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way. 

‘And I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans,’ she added.

‘And I would never want someone else to not be believed.’

A source told the Mirror that she missed Costner’s Santa Barbara house part because ‘she [was] sick and could not make it’. 

A-listers like Jeff Bridges, Rob Lowe and Pink were in attendance.