Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a seven-car convoy around a single block to attend the World Mental Health Day celebration in New York City on Tuesday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex exited a garage near the Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards and took a left onto 33rd Street in line with the one-way street, only to end up in another garage on 33rd – 200 feet from the first.
The eco-conscious couple’s convoy of seven gas-guzzling, blacked-out SUVs was surrounded by NYPD escort on the streets of Manhattan.
After the short trip, the couple presented a panel discussion at the World Mental Health Day festival in what is their first personal event for their charity, the Archewell Foundation.
The mental health summit, where the couple was joined by Today show host Carson and US Surgeon General Dr. Joined by Vivek Murthy, was the pair’s first appearance together in New York since the ‘near catastrophic car chase’ they were caught up in in May. after attending the Women of Vision Awards.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took the police-escorted convoy just one block to attend the World Mental Health Day festival in New York
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left a garage from 30th Street Hudson Yards to go around the block, in line with the one-way street, only to end up in another garage on 33rd Street less than 200 feet from the first garage .
The convoy of seven blacked-out cars took the Duke and Duchess, pictured, around the block to the mental health summit
On this occasion, the pair appeared to have taken strict measures to ensure their safety – with a marked NYPD escort accompanying their fleet of SUVs to the event.
The couple appeared unruffled and all smiles as they arrived at the Hudson Yards venue on Tuesday.
Meghan, 42, arrived at the summit wearing a $987 white off-the-shoulder Altuzarra jacket with matching white trousers and heels, while her husband, 39, donned a dapper navy suit.
However, the pair appeared to get emotional as soon as the event began, with both looking incredibly somber as the panel began – with parents who had ‘suffered a tragic loss related to their child’s social media use’ taking to the stage stand to share their stories.
They revealed at the event that they had been working behind the scenes with the parents over the past year to ‘create a community of shared experiences’, with Harry and Meghan taking to the stage later in the event to welcome all the mums and fathers who shared their stories.
“I can’t begin without thanking all the parents, the mothers and fathers who were here today for being physically here today, but also for being on this journey for the last year and creating this community of shared experience, Harry said in a video shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
“We know it is not easy for you to be here so thank you very much.”
Meanwhile, Meghan admitted she was left in tears by some of the stories the parents shared when they first met.
Meghan, 42, was seen wearing a glamorous white strapless trouser suit as she arrived at the Hudson Yards venue for the summit, where the couple discussed the dangers of social media
The pair apparently took pretty strict measures to ensure their safety – with a marked NYPD escort accompanying their fleet of SUVs to the event
Both Meghan and Harry appeared somber as they sat down at the event, which will see parents who have ‘suffered loss related to their child’s social media use’.
A large security detail accompanied the couple in Montecito on Tuesday in New York
Security personnel prepare to escort the Duke and Duchess of Sussex around the block in Hudson Yards, New York City
“A year ago when we met some of the families, not all of them, it was impossible not to be in tears because I’m sure so many of you have heard these stories today,” she said.
“You can hear these stories over and over and over, and it’s still going to have the same emotional impact because it’s just so devastating.”
Meghan went on to share her fears for her own children, who are growing up in an era when social media plays such a big role in everyone’s lives.
“As parents, although our kids are very young, they’re two and a half and four and a half … but social media isn’t going away,” she continued.
“I think by design there was an entry point that was supposed to be positive in creating community and something spiraled, and there’s no way to hear that and not try to help these families tell their stories don’t hear.”
In a video shared by Huffington Post reporter Carly Ledbetter, Meghan went on to describe her role as a mother as the ‘most important thing in her life…besides being a wife’ to Harry, before she opened up about her concerns regarding their children Archie and Lilibet using social media.
“Being a mother is the most important thing in my whole life … except of course being a wife for this one,” she said, when Carson asked how much of a “priority” social media safety for her is, as a mother of two young children.
“But I will say, I feel lucky that our kids are at an age, again, pretty young, so it’s not in our immediate future, but I also feel scared about how it keeps changing.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left a 30th Street Hudson Yards garage to go down the block and end up in another garage on 33rd Street to attend their mental health summit
The visit is the first time they have returned to New York since their visit in May, when they said they were involved in a ‘near catastrophic car chase’.
Meghan admitted on stage at the event that she had been left in tears by some of the ‘devastating’ stories shared by the parents who took part in the summit
After the short trip, the couple hosted a panel discussion at the World Mental Health Day festival in what is their first personal event for their charity, the Archewell Foundation.
The couple’s convoy of seven blacked-out vehicles was seen on the streets of Manhattan on Tuesday
‘And it will be before us. As they say, “Being a parent, the days are long, but the years are short.” So it worries me, but I am also given a lot of hope and a lot of energy by the progress we have made in the past year.’
There are still questions about Harry and Meghan’s account of their last visit to the city in May.
A statement from the couple’s spokesperson described their car journey as ‘almost catastrophic’.
The spokesperson said the couple, as well as Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, were the victims of a ‘relentless pursuit lasting more than two hours’ by ‘highly aggressive paparazzi’.
It was suggested that they were trying not to be followed to where they were staying on the Upper East Side of the city.
However, New York police later told NBC that they did not believe the chase was “near catastrophic,” instead describing it as “a bit of a chaotic scene.”
New York Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Julian Phillips also revealed that the NYPD was ‘assisting’ the couple’s private security team.
Meanwhile, New York Mayor Eric Adams expressed empathy – describing the actions of the paparazzi as ‘reckless’ and ‘irresponsible’ – but said he would find it ‘hard to believe’ there was a two-hour high-speed chase .