London — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, accepted an award for their human rights work in New York on Tuesday night, just two days ahead of the release of a documentary series in which they are expected to outline their experiences as members of the British royal family. It’s widely expected that the couple will make further revelations in the Netflix series about the racism they say Meghan has suffered at the hands of Britain’s tabloid press, and even from members of the royal family.
“They’ve stood up, they’ve talked about racial justice and they’ve talked about mental illness in a way that was incredibly brave,” Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, said at the organization’s awards gala on Tuesday night, according to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper.
The couple was presented with the “Ripple of Hope” award alongside other honorees, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the event, it was announced that the couple’s Archewell Foundation would be launching a student film award for projects about women human rights defenders, in collaboration with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation.
“For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalize discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave,” Kennedy said at the gala, according to the Telegraph.
“Together we know that a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change,” the Sussexes said in a statement announcing the collaborative film project.
The award came days before the release of the couple’s highly anticipated Netflix documentary series, which has prompted widespread speculation over what new accusations it might level at other members of the British royal family.
Since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as “working royals” and moved to the United States, they have spoken out about the racism Meghan says she experienced during her time living in the U.K., including from Harry’s family, and her struggles with her mental health.
In one trailer for the upcoming series, Harry accuses the royal family of leaking stories to the press.
Buckingham Palace has not commented the series.
