Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive in New York City for rare joint appearance

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stepped out for a rare joint appearance to pick up an award for their charity work.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received an award at the World Mental Health Day gala in the Big Apple. Their work around online safety has been praised.

Royal expert Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever and professor at Royal Holloway, thinks the award is a good fit, that Harry and Meghan have earned the award, but there will most likely be some pushback from critics.

She said: "I think Harry and Meghan probably have earned this award. It seems they have been working fairly quietly in the background on projects that have not necessarily been heavily publicised."

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Harry and Meghan, co-founders of the Archewell Foundation, received the Project Healthy Minds' Humanitarians of the Year Award in recognition of their campaigns to make the online world a safer place for families and young people.

They accepted the special honour at the non-profit organisation's World Mental Health Day Gala, before both stepping out for another New York City engagement tomorrow.

Accepting the gong, Harry said: "This wasn’t content created by a third party. These were the companies’ own chatbots working to advance their own depraved internal policies. But here’s what gives us hope: these families aren’t facing this alone."

Tomorrow, Harry and Meghan will attend Project Healthy Minds' fourth annual World Mental Health Day Festival, where their Archewell Foundation is co-producing conversations with those making a difference in the mental health sector.

In a statement to People when the award was announced, the Sussexes said: "Working with families and young people to prioritize safety online has been some of the most meaningful work of our lives.

"As parents ourselves, we have been moved to action by the power of their stories and are honoured to support them. We’re proud to be long-time partners of Project Healthy Minds as we work together to shine a light on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time."

In 2020, the Sussexes established The Archewell Foundation on a mission to "show up, do good". In 2023 at the Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day Festival, Harry and Meghan founded The Parent's Network, an initiative to support families impacted by the effects of online harm.

The Lost Screen Memorial that the Archwell Foundation unveiled in New York in April will also be displayed at the festival. The sombre tribute honours children who lost their lives to the harms of social media, with Prince Harry and Meghan attending a private vigil at the site in the spring.

Taking to Instagram just hours after the memorial was revealed, Meghan wrote: "An important and emotional evening last night in NY as we unveiled #NoChildLostToSocialMedia with parents and families who have lost their children to online harms.

"My husband and I have worked with many of these families for the last several years, and through The Archewell Foundation and our program The Parents’ Network, we support them in their grief and stand with them in their call for action. No matter how divided the world may be, we can all agree that we want our children to be safe from harm. That is a universal truth."

The Sussexes trip to New York comes just weeks after they delighted fans by making their first joint public appearance in months, attending the One805LIVE! Concert.

The event, which was held at Kevin Costner's oceanside estate in California in late September, raises funds for essential equipment and mental wellness programs for Santa Barbara County's first responders.