Harry and Meghan have given a speech after receiving an award at the Ripple of Hope Awards in New York City.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex touched down in New York City for the glamorous award ceremony which honours individuals for their charitable efforts.
They won the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award for challenging the The Firm's "power structure".
John F Kennedy's niece Kerry Kennedy, host of the awards, said the pair took a brave stance against the royals, knowing they would be ostracised as a result.
They talked about sweeping “down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance” as they were honoured at the event.
It comes after Harry and Meghan made bombshell clams about racism within the Royal Family during an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The pair alleged a senior royal made a racist comment about the skin colour of their then unborn son Archie.
Previous winners of a Ripple of Hope award have included US President Joe Biden and ex-POTUSs Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well former Democratic hopefuls Hilary Clinton and Al Gore.
Tickets for tonight's gala are selling for up to $1million (£847,000).
At the event The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said “a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change” after being honoured for their activism work in New York.
During the ceremony the couple also announced a new collaboration between their foundation, The Archewell Foundation, and the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organisation.
“We are honoured to receive the RFK Ripple of Hope Award this year, and to partner with the Kennedy family in the creation of The Archewell Foundation Award for Gender Equity in Student Film,” they said in a statement.
“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 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.”
Elsewhere in the night the duke joked he thought he was taking his wife on a “date night”.
Speaking onstage with RFKHR president Kerry Kennedy, Harry said: “I’ll be honest with you Kerry I just thought we were just going on a date night so I found it quite weird that we’re sharing the room with 1500 people.
“We don’t get out much these days because our kids are so small and young so, this is completely unexpected.”
To laughter from the audience he added: “But it’s nice to share date night with all of you, so thank you for coming.”
Meghan added: “Thank you for bringing me on this very special date night.”
“You’re welcome,” Harry said.
The pair were recognised alongside other honourees including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the RFKHR, honourees are those who have demonstrated “an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice, and human rights”.
Ms Kennedy, who is the daughter of Robert F Kennedy, said the Sussexes had been “incredibly brave” in addressing the issues of racial justice and mental illness.
“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 on the event’s blue carpet.
“In this world in the wake of Covid there has been a massive spike… people around the globe have said they have anxiety and massive depression.
“For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalise discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave.”
The award has divided opinion with Kerry Kennedy branding Meghan and Harry's sit-down interview a "heroic stand".
Kerry Kennedy previously told El Confidencial : "They went to the oldest institution in UK history and told them what they were doing wrong, that they couldn’t have structural racism within the institution; that they could not maintain a misunderstanding about mental health.
"They knew that if they did this there would be consequences, that they would be ostracised, they would lose their family, their position within this structure, and that people would blame them for it.
“They have done it anyway because they believed they couldn’t live with themselves if they didn’t question this authority. I think they have been heroic in taking this step.”
However Robert F Kennedy Jr, Kerry's brother, described the decision to hand Harry and Meghan the award as "bewildering".
