By CANDACE SUTTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and KARLEIGH SMITH – SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and CAITLIN POWELL – NEWS REPORTER
Updated: 02:19 EDT, 16 April 2026
Prince Harry has given an emotional speech to a summit of business leaders, worth $997 per ticket, admitting he never wanted to be a working royal and that the job ‘killed his mum’.
Speaking at the InterEdge Summit at Melbourne Park on Thursday, he made the admission to Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson.
‘After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,’ he said.
‘It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.
‘Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?
‘And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.’
It has been an emotional day for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their last day in Melbourne, with Meghan Markle, 41, opening up about the aggressive online bullying she has received for a decade.
‘Every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked,’ she said during a circle discussion about social media and mental health at the wellbeing program Baytr.
‘And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.’
The couple are due to fly to Sydney later on Thursday.Â
‘It killed my mum’: Harry reveals he ‘never’ wanted to be a working royal
Prince Harry has said he never wanted to be a working royal after his mother, the late Princess Diana, died when he was a teenager.
Speaking at the InterEdge Summit at Melbourne Park on Thursday, he made the admission to Australian business leader and former politician Brendan Nelson.
‘After my mum died just before my 13th birthday – I was like: ‘I don’t want this job. I don’t want this role – wherever this is headed, I don’t like it,’ he said, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
‘It killed my mum, and I was very much against it, and I stuck my head in the sand for years and years.
‘Eventually I realised – well, hang on, if there was somebody else in this position, how would they be making the most of this platform and this ability and the resources that come with it to make a difference in the world?
‘And also, what would my mum want me to do? And that really changed my own perspective.’
Harry told the gathered attendees that he had felt ‘lost, betrayed, or completely powerless’ at points in his life.
‘When I was invited to speak at this summit, I wasn’t sure whether I was expected to speak as someone who, despite everything, has their s*** together,’ he said.
‘Or as someone who, despite what it may look like, actually doesn’t have his shit together.
‘But I was struck by something quite simple – that while my experiences may be unusual, the feelings that come with them are not. In my experience, loss is disorienting at any age.’
The Duke of Sussex also used his speech to call out social media companies, saying that people stop questioning and normalise unhealthy behaviour.
‘Nowhere is that more visible than in the digital world because many of the systems shaping our reality, our attention, our self-worth and our relationships were not built around human wellbeinh,’ he said.
‘Too many of these platforms are not designed with safety in mind… And we know these companies have the capability to understand who their users are.
‘They can target young people with extraordinary precision … but when it comes to protecting those same young people, we are told that it’s too difficult, too complex, it can’t be done.
‘That contradiction should concern all of us because if a platform is capable of targeting a child, it is surely capable of protecting them, and if it is not doing so, that is not a failure of technology. It is a failure of responsibility.’
Meghan: ‘I was the most trolled person in the world’ and was bullied every day for 10 years
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed how the aggressive online bullying she received for 10 years made her ‘the most trolled person in the entire world’.
The admission came during her visit with Prince Harry to the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.
‘Every day for 10 years, I have been bullied and attacked,’ she said during a circle discussion about social media and mental health, Press Association reports.
‘And I was the most trolled person in the entire world.’
The Duchess said technology companies are ‘not incentivised to stop’ bullying and harrassment online.
‘I can speak to that really personally, which is why I like to listen because it rings true for me in a very real way,’ she said.
During the visit, the Duke of Sussex took the opportunity to praise Australia’s social media ban for teenagers as ‘epic’.
‘Australia took the lead. Your government was the first country in the world to bring about a ban,’ he said.
‘Now we can sit here and debate the pros and cons of a ban – I’m not here to judge that. All I will say is from a responsibility and leadership standpoint – epic.
‘So many countries have now followed suit, but it should have never got to a ban.’
Meghan’s two-word review of Australia
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were smiling as they exited the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.
As they left, people began changing ‘Har-ry, Har-ry’ and calling out Meghan’s name.
Some members of the crowd asked if she would return to Australia, to which she responded: ‘Oh gosh, I’d love to come back. It’s brilliant.’
Channel 7 reporter Paul Dowsley seemed unfazed by his Harry selfie blow-off on Thursday morning’s Scar Tree Walk event.
Upon Prince Harry and Meghan’s exit from the facility, the undeterred TV reporter moved from behind Harry’s shoulder.
Just as his Seven cameraman was getting great vision of the Duke putting his wife into the waiting car, Dowsley thrust his microphone across the top of a burly security guard towards the Duke’s face.
Harry studiously ignored him, and the Duchess stepped elegantly into the Range Rover.
The couple then arrived at the InterEdge Summit at Melbourne Park at precisely 1pm, where the Duke was due to deliver his address during a session entitled Beyond Policy, How We Show Up, Speak Up, then Shape Safer Work Places.
The Sussexes were due to leave before afternoon tea and conversation, around 2.40pm.
The two-day event, which costs ‘virtual’ attendees $498 and in-person ‘delegates’ $997, will see all proceeds go to Lifeline.
Channel 7 reporter sparks chaos after trying to snap a selfie with Prince Harry
Near the conclusion of the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, which lasted barely half an hour, a Channel 7 TV reporter tried to get a selfie with Harry – sparking chaos.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s communications director Liam Maguire was previously seen engaging in several friendly conversations with Paul Dowsley.
However, the reporter began to attract the attention of the couple’s staff as he darted in and out of camera shots during PA Media’s filming of Harry and Meghan for UK audiences.
It culminated in an awkward moment between the reporter and the Prince on Thursday morning, who appeared to prod Dowsley out of the way of Meghan’s path as he tried to snap a selfie.
After wearing a snappy blue suit the day before, Dowsley was dressed in a beige suit and flowered tie as he tried to get the selfie.
Dowsley told the Daily Mail that the interactions with Harry were all good-humoured, and that the Duke had even complimented him on his bold tie choice.
‘I suppose it’s a break in protocol to ask for a selfie with a royal, but he told me that I’m always so well-dressed,’ he said.
The energetic former Kyle & Jackie O producer, who once worked for TV comic Bert Newton, has been present at every Sussex venue trying to get exclusives.
He was seen being ushered away by a burly security guard, known as ‘Chris from Texas’ by reporters following the tour, as the couple stepped out for an event at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum on Tuesday night.
Meghan Markle is now making money out of fans buying her clothes after putting details of her wardrobe online following a deal with an AI-powered fashion website.
The Duchess of Sussex has become a participant and investor in OneOff so she can promote the outfits she has worn during her tour of Australia.
At Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, Meghan wore a $1,250 ‘Priscilla’ dress from local designer Karen Gee, with $780 ‘Puffy Hearts’ stud earrings by Real Fine Studio and $120 ‘Iridescent’ Christian Dior leather pumps.
All three were promoted on OneOff with links – but it did not mention a Tiffany gold bracelet and the late Princess Diana’s Cartier watch, which she was also wearing.
Later at the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum, she had a $1,000 St Agni suede ‘Utility Cocoon Bomber’ jacket, an $890 suede ‘Column skirt’ by the same brand; a $220 ‘Annie’ top by PJ Femme and ‘Purist’ 105mm pointed-toe pumps by Aquazzura which are sold out in the US but cost £479 ($904) in the UK.
OneOff, an American firm based in Los Angeles, also features photos of Meghan from previous events and at her home with options to buy the clothing she is wearing.
She has a personal page on the site which already works with a series of actresses such as Kate Hudson, Emma Roberts, Shay Mitchell and Suki Waterhouse.
OneOff bosses claimed in a press release that Meghan wanted to join the platform because of its global reach and to ensure the right designers get the proper credit.
Meghan’s glam outfit change for mental health centre
The Duke and Duchess have visited the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.
They discussed therapies that help young people talk openly about their mental health and take charge of their wellbeing.
While Meghan sported a more casual look on Thursday morning, she stepped out in Hawthorn wearing a khaki shift dress, The Anya, which retails on Friends with Frank for $389.
She paired the look with black stiletto heels and dark tights, accessoring with simple gold rings and, once again, a gold Cartier Tank Française watch, thought to have belonged to Prince Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana.
The timepiece sells for $48,000 new, though Meghan’s would likely be priceless.
The couple could be seen smiling and hugging staff while photographed in the centre.
As they left, people began changing ‘Har-ry, Har-ry’ and calling out Meghan’s name.
Some members of the crowd asked if she would return to Australia, to which she responded: ‘Oh gosh, I’d love to come back. It’s brilliant.’
Aussies slam café’s AI pic of the Sussexes
An AI image of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a Melbourne a café has been slammed by Aussies online.
Beachside Bakehouse in San Remo, a coastal town south of the city, published a picture of the couple sitting outside the café holding mugs of coffee.
Meghan Markle appears to be wearing an outfit she was seen wearing during their royal visit in 2018.
Some commenters also pointed out that it must be AI because ‘Harry has less hair’.
The picture also fails to fit in with the couple’s itinerary, which did not include anywhere near San Remo on Wednesday.
The Duke visited Whitten Oval in Footscray before travelling to Canberra and back.The Duchess quietly made an appearance on MasterChef Australia.
‘Just your casual Tuesday at the Bakehouse… until Harry and Meghan roll in,’ the bakehouse said in its caption.
‘We always said we were fit for royalty… just didn’t think they’d actually take us up on it.
‘Low-key thinking we might need to rename it The Royal Bakehouse now… what do we reckon?’
But the ‘cheeky’ post has been blasted by social media users.
‘Good luck on getting more customers. Not everyone likes this couple. They’re not going to turn up just because of them,’ one person wrote.
Another quipped: ‘Coffee in a mug… no class’, while a third said there was ‘nothing royal here’ and that the café was ‘fake flexing’.
Emily, who owns the bakehouse, told the Daily Mail the response to the lighthearted social media post had been positive.
‘We originally created and shared the post as a bit of light-hearted fun while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are visiting Australia, and it definitely took on a life of its own,’ she said.
‘The overall response has been overwhelmingly positive.
‘People have really embraced the humour and joined in on the fun, which has been great for community engagement and visibility for us as a small local business.
We haven’t experienced any notable negative reactions – if anything, it’s just sparked a lot of conversation and smiles both online and in-store.’
Harry stops for a chat with red-haired Heidi
The Duke of Sussex paused along Melbourne’s Scar Tree Walk to greet three-year-old Heidi, a fellow redhead.
Prince Harry met the little girl and her father, Rohan Davies, while taking part in an event celebrating both the traditional and modern Aboriginal cultures and histories of the Kulin Nation.
He could be seen patting Heidi’s head and smiling as Mr Davies snapped a photo.
Earlier this week, the 41-year-old was spotted in another heartwarming exchange, this time with a redheaded boy at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
‘Yes! Gingers rule!’ he told the crowd on Tuesday.
Meghan sends subtle message of support to her best friend with ‘Mama’ t-shirt
The Duchess of Sussex was spotted wearing a t-shirt on the Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, which understood to have been designed by a close friend.
For an event steeped in the history of ‘Narrm’, the Indigenous name for the city, and the long cultural heritage within its landscape, Meghan Markle sported a t-shirt emblazoned with a bright red love heart and the word ‘Mama’.
The limited edition tee was released by the charity Alliance of Moms, which is headed by her best friend Kelly McKee Zajfen – who appeared on Meghan’s Netflix series ‘With Love, Meghan’.
Funds from the t-shirt sales go towards supporting young parents in foster care.
Meghan paired the t-shirt with bootleg blue jeans and a camel coat in a more casual look for Thursday morning.
Prince Harry had been styled to complement her outfit, with a blue shirt and black jeans.
Harry and Meghan visit the Scar Tree Walk
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first visit on Thursday morning to the Koorie Heritage Trust Birrarung Building at Federation Square for the Scar Tree Walk.
Greeted by traditional owners carrying possum fur objects and a boomerang, Meghan chatted with a young boy.
At one point, the Duchess could be heard saying to him: ‘Do you know Diary of a Wombat? I love that book.’
The group ambled down to the Yarra River and crossed the William Barak Bridge.
The walk is the site of one of Melbourne’s six traditional scarred trees, which are more than 200-years-old.
Meghan Markle will be guest-starring on the new season of MasterChef Australia and fans of the beloved series are not happy.
Channel 10 took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to make the announcement, alongside an image of the Duchess of Sussex smiling proudly alongside judges Jean-Christophe Novelli, Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin.
‘We’re welcoming someone SUPER special into the MasterChef Kitchen,’ the caption began.
‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, makes a special guest appearance this season as she returns to Australia for the first time since 2018,’ it continued.
MasterChef Australia also shared footage of the moment Poh introduces Megan to this year’s cast.
Meghan exuded confidence and style as she strode onto the MasterChef set in a sleek black ensemble.
What are Harry and Meghan doing today?
Prince Harry and Meghan will arrive on Thursday morning at Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens for the Scar Tree Walk.
They will be greeted by indigenous traditional owners at the Koorie Heritage Trust Birrarung Building at Federation Square from which the couple will go down to the Yarra River and cross the William Barak Bridge.
The walk is the site of one Melbourne’s six traditional scarred trees, which are more than 200 years old.
The trunks bear the distinctive marks of stone axes used by Indigenous Australians to remove bark to make canoes, shields and other traditional objects.
Led by First Nations guides, the Sussexes and their entourage are expected to be told along their walk about ‘Narrm’, the Indigenous name for Melbourne, and the long cultural heritage within its city landscape.
The Duke and Duchess will then visit the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Program, Batyr, on the grounds of Swinburne University.
They will discuss therapies about how to empower young people to talk openly about mental health and take charge of their wellbeing.
At some point, Prince Harry will also appear at the InterEdge Summit, a gathering to help businesses create ‘mentally healthy, safe, and high-performing workplaces’.
The event two-day event, which costs ‘virtual’ attendees $498 and in-person ‘delegates’ $997, will see all proceeds go to Lifeline.
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‘It killed my mum’: Harry bares all as he reveals why he wanted to quit royal life during emotional speech at $997-a-head summit