The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been honoured for their racial justice work by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organisation last night (Tuesday 6 December).

They took home the Ripple of Hope award at the gala, a title given to those who have demonstrated “an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice and human rights” according to RFKHR. Previous winners of the award include the then vice president Joe Biden, Bono, Hillary Clinton and George Clooney.

During the ceremony, the Sussexes also announced a collaboration between the Archewell Foundation, run by Harry and Meghan, and RFKHR called the Archewell Foundation Award for Gender Equity in Student Film.

In a statement, Harry and Meghan said: “Our hope with this award is to inspire a new generation of leadership in the arts, where diverse up-and-coming talent have a platform to have their voices heard and their stories told. 

“The values of the RFK Foundation and The Archewell Foundation are aligned in our shared belief of courage over fear and love over hate.

“Together we know that a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change.”

President of RFKHR and daughter of Robert F Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, said that Meghan and Harry’s open conversations about mental illness and racism have been “incredibly brave”.

“They’ve stood up, they’ve talked about racial justice and they’ve talked about mental illness in a way that was incredibly brave,” she told US outlet Extra during the evening. 

“For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalise discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave.”

In a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan discussed feeling like she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” while being part of the royal family. She also revealed that Prince Harry was asked by an unnamed family member “how dark” their son Archie’s skin might be.

The outgoing Metropolitan police assistant commissioner, Neil Basu, has also recently spoken about the “disgusting and very real” threats Meghan faced as a working royal.

In 2016, Harry co-founded the Heads Together campaign, along with Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, to end the stigma around mental health. In 2021, he also spoke with Oprah, this time on her show The Me You Can’t See to talk about the anxiety and panic attacks he faced in his 20s. 

Talking to James Corden, he explained that he “did what any husband [or] father would do” by stepping back from royal life as it was destroying his mental health, as well as Meghan’s.

The award comes hours before their controversial documentary with Netflix airs, detailing their experience as royals and what has happened since leaving. 

Images: Getty