Culture May 15, 2023

Prince Harry, Meghan make 1st appearance since King Charles' coronation

Matt Sayles for The Archewell Foundation
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, meet with teens from AHA! Santa Barbara, a youth group, to discuss mental health.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, marked Mental Health Awareness Month by talking with teens in their home state of California.

Harry and Meghan met recently with a group of teens from AHA! Santa Barbara, a nonprofit organization that describes itself on its website as working to equip "teenagers, educators, and parents with social and emotional intelligence to dismantle apathy, prevent despair, and interrupt hate-based behavior."

The nonprofit is located close to Montecito, where the Sussexes now live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Matt Sayles for The Archewell Foundation
Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, meets with teens from AHA! Santa Barbara, a youth group, to discuss mental health.

Harry and Meghan met with the teens, ages 14 to 18, for one hour to discuss their "experiences with social media and societal pressures, and how it affects their mental well-being," according to the couple's Archewell Foundation.

Matt Sayles for The Archewell Foundation
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, meet with teens from AHA! Santa Barbara, a youth group, to discuss mental health.

The photos shared by the foundation mark the first time Harry and Meghan have been seen in an official appearance since Harry traveled to the United Kingdom for the coronation of his father, King Charles III.

Harry attended the coronation alone, with Meghan and their two children staying behind in California. The date of the coronation, May 6, was also Archie's fourth birthday.

Pool/via Reuters
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, the Duke of Sussex (centre) and Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Westminster Abbey, London, May 6, 2023.

Since stepping down from their senior royals roles three years ago, Harry and Meghan have charted their own path in the United States, launching Archewell, which includes their charitable foundation as well as their production and audio companies.

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The Sussexes have also each been vocal about their own struggles with mental health.

Meghan has opened up about suicidal thoughts she said she had during her time in the royal family.

Harry has spoken extensively about the grief he struggled with following the 1997 death of his mom, Princess Diana, a struggle he also wrote about in his recent memoir "Spare."

MORE: Why Meghan Markle, Archie and Lilibet are missing King Charles' coronation

The Archewell Foundation says on its website that the issue of mental health "underpins all our work."

Matt Sayles for The Archewell Foundation
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, meet with teens from AHA! Santa Barbara, a youth group, to discuss mental health.

"AWF holds a core belief that mental health is of the utmost importance, and underpins all of our work," the foundation states. "We are regularly meeting with young people, parents, and professionals to understand the challenges they may be facing while working together to drive towards long-term solutions on- and offline."

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.