Harry and Meghan face awkward grilling from journalists about Netflix series trends now

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex faced an awkward grilling from journalists about their explosive Netflix documentary in New York. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were last night asked if they were putting money before family as they graced a star-studded gala hosted by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights organisation, where they received an award for fighting racism in the Royal Family.

The pair did not give a direct response, but the Duke could be heard saying 'so many questions' before they were escorted inside.

It comes just hours before the launch of the couple's explosive Netflix series, after incendiary trailers promoting their forthcoming documentary dropped in which they hinted that Buckingham Palace leaked and 'planted' negative stories about them.

Allies claimed on camera that it was 'a war against Meghan to suit other people's agendas', with one going so far as to state: 'It's about hatred, it's about race'. In clips for the show, the prince also appear to take aim at royal aides, smirking as he comments: 'It's a dirty game.' 

The pair have been recognised for their 'anti-racism' 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'. 

However, there has been a growing sense of incredulity at the couple's inclusion, with Kerry Kennedy's brother Robert F Kennedy Jnr describing it as 'bewildering'.

Prof David Nasaw, the Pulitizer Prize-winning biographer of JFK and RFK's father Joseph Kennedy, said it was 'somewhere between sublimely ridiculous and blatantly ludicrous'.

Others have made clear that although Harry and Meghan threw a slew of half-accusations and innuendos against the Royal Family, particularly in last year's notorious Oprah interview, they have never provided any evidence of their claims.

The late Queen Elizabeth, Harry's grandmother, said at the time that while their claims, particularly about racial issues, had been 'concerning', they were not all accepted – famously using the phrase 'recollections may vary'.

One royal insider recently described the giving of the award to them on this basis to the Mail as 'seemingly very naive'.

Yesterday criminal barrister and television personality Rob Rinder lashed out at Harry and Meghan's controversial human rights award on Good Morning Britain.

Judge Rinder criticised the pair for their lack of 'humility' in accepting the award when there were so many people more deserving of a human rights award. He said: 'The thing that strikes me is – just have a little bit of humility… you think of people who have spent their lives campaigning for human rights – Baroness Doreen Laurence, Kwajo [Tweneboa] who works in housing, the women of Iran who are fighting for freedom at the moment, ordinary citizens in China.

'The idea that you... would go and collect a human rights award for taking lots of money to gripe at your family and in my view not really do anything meaningful to expose structural racism, but rather instead damage an institution.

'Surely what you would do is you have the profound and clear and honest humility as a human being to know that there are real people out there who you should accept the award for on their behalf, given the real human rights work they do.

'You can tell I feel quite passionate about this, because the idea I or anybody else here would accept a human rights award given what is going on around our globe, strikes me at the very least – to use the language of that world – problematic.'

Last night the Duke and Duchess  vowed their war against 'oppression' has only just begun at a lavish New York awards ceremony last night.

Harry and Meghan delivered the politically-charged pre-taped remarks after being honoured with an award for fighting racism in the Royal Family by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, a prize that counts Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton among its former recipients.

Meghan also talked about her struggle with suicidal thoughts while a member of the Royal Family, telling the audience she 'didn't want to be alive anymore' and revealing that the decision not to end her life 'wasn't easy', in remarks echoing those made during her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. 

In a lighter moment during 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 1,500 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.

In a speech praising the late RFK, the Duke of Sussex told the star-studded Ripple of Hope Gala: 'As we all face a complete and challenging time in the world, we choose the path of optimism of care for each other and our communities. We understand this honour, not about the culmination of a life's work, but instead and in many ways for us, a beginning.' 

He said: 'Bobby Kennedy said, ''Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.''' 

His wife the Duchess said: 'The enduring dream of RFK of a just and peaceful world is so much more than a simple hope. It's a direct ask, a specific challenge, a call to action, a test of individual courage and collective spirit. And his appeal to humanity is as relevant today as it was in 1966 when he stood before the University of Cape Town, a place we've visited and hold close to our hearts. And he delivered a vision for the common good of society.

'He also said those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance'.

The couple received the Ripple of Hope Award, an accolade honouring exemplary leaders across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment, and the pair were recognised for their racial justice and mental health work.

During the ceremony the couple announced a new collaboration between their foundation The Archewell Foundation and the RFKHR - the Archewell Foundation Award for Gender Equity in Student Film.

'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 couple said in a statement. '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 during the event, Meghan opened up about her struggle with suicidal thoughts while a member of the Royal Family.

The Duchess, with Harry at her side, said 'just didn't want to be alive anymore' and told the gala that she first shared her struggle publicly last year during her interview with Oprah because 'I don't want anyone to feel alone'.

The Duchess added that mental health can be a problem when 'you don't see a way out,' and noted that many people around the world felt the way she did when they were trapped in isolation during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Meghan was asked about her decision to detail the moment she considered ending her life while living inside palace walls and admitted that 'it wasn't an easy decision to make, as you can imagine.'

Asked why she chose to reveal this during her Oprah interview, Meghan said: 'I don't want anyone to feel alone.

'And when you've been through anything that's challenging, and everyone, especially in the past few years with lockdown and COVID, that spike in numbers of people having an experience they might not be voicing. We all need to, when we can, if we feel brave enough, to just speak honestly about your own experience.'

She added: 'It gives other people space and the courage to do the same, but more than that to really feel like you're not alone, because I think that is often what can be the largest hindrance when you feel that way, you don't see a way out.' 

Meghan continued: 'Look, I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he has suffered, but I knew that if I didn't say it, then I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore. 

'But ultimately, if you feel like there's someone else that has a lived experience. they've gotten to the other side, and gave example of resilience, an example of 'there is a happy ending', I think that's what most people are probably seeking out in those moments.

'And that's why I made the decision to just say 'if my experience can help someone else not feel the same way or to know that there's hope then it's worth every second of whatever comes with it.'

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

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