The Robert F. Kennedy Foundation for Human Rights announced that Prince Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan Markle, will receive an award for “showing bravery” in the face of “systematic racism” in the British royal household.
The “Ripple of Hope” award will be presented to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a gala event in New York on December 6. The award is intended to “honor exceptional leaders in government, business, public activity and entertainment who have demonstrated a commitment to social change and worked to protect and promote equality, justice and human rights”, and this year’s winners include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and basketball star Bill Russell, who passed away last July.
Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of the former Democratic senator and attorney general who was murdered in 1968, explained that the Duke and Duchess “showed bravery” when they stood up to the “power structure” of the royal family, even though they knew they were going to pay a price for it.
“They went to the oldest institution in British history and were told that what they were doing was wrong, that there could not be systematic racism within the institution, that they could not maintain a lack of understanding of mental health,” Kennedy told The Times. “They knew there would be consequences, that they would lose their family. But they did it anyway, because they believed they wouldn’t be able to live with themselves, if they didn’t question this authority.”
However, experts in the royal house made it clear that the awarding of the award will not promote reconciliation between the couple who left for the USA and the family members, also in view of the upcoming publication of Prince Harry’s autobiographical book. “Harry and Meghan should think about why they are receiving these awards and if they deserve them.”