Yesterday, Prince Harry delivered a keynote address in Washington, D.C. at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)'s Global Summit where he spoke about his relationship with privacy.
"At a time when there is so much devastation and suffering happening in the world, it might seem strange to be speaking about privacy," he began. "But I see it differently. I see privacy as a foundational issue—one that underpins trust, safety, and the stability of our societies. And getting this right will have global consequences."
Harry continued, "My connection to privacy, and the lack of it, begins in a different place than most. From birth," referencing the media attention surrounding his birth in 1984, when his parents then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana posed outsidethe Lindo Wingwith him as an infant.
The Duke of Sussex continued, "You may know that I've spent the past seven years in litigation against three media organizations in the UK over their systemic and unlawful invasions of privacy, as well as the cover up of it, dating back to the early 2000s. The worst examples of an industry that too often behaves as though it owns people's privacy—and feels it gets to decide what constitutes the public interest. Unfortunately, I have come to learn that this exploitation has become normalized."
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As he detailed his fight against invasions of privacy, he said, "I have nothing to gain from taking on powerful institutions. In many ways, it's come at a personal and reputational cost for me, my wife, and our kids. But is it worth it? Absolutely. Because this is about more than one individual—it's about the systems that shape and influence all of our lives."
Harry also spoke about therecent Los Angeles trialin which Meta and YouTube were found negligent in harming a young woman through the design features on their platforms. "About bloody time!" he said in his speech. "A jury confirmed what parents have felt and experts have said all along—the systems driving our social media platforms have been built to exploit, not protect—and the people at the heart of it have always known it. Finally, some truth and accountability has arrived." The Prince also revealed he and Meghan Markle "had the opportunity to spend time with many of the parents in the Los Angeles case as it proceeded in the courtroom each day."
He concluded his keynote reflecting on his own life in the United States. "As a Brit living in the United States, I've been struck by the global reach of American tech," Harry said. "The standards set here increasingly define the digital environment everywhere—even in countries trying to protect their own citizens and their democracy. And when that influence scales faster than safeguards, the impact is felt far beyond U.S. borders."
As Archewell Philanthropies noted in apost on Sussex.com, the Duke of Sussex "called for brave leadership and a commitment to building systems where privacy won't just matter but will be impossible to ignore."
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