Prince Harry appeared to take a slight dig at the royal family’s lack of involvement in politics as he surprised a room full of venture capitalists at the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, took to the stage at the business event Thursday — resulting in audible gasps from the unsuspecting crowd.
“I’m here to talk about something that I believe will resonate with all of you as leaders, creators, builders and change-makers,” the former working royal told the audience, via People.
“How do we invest in our shared future to solve the challenges we face today as a divided society?”
“As a dad, this has me constantly looking for solutions,” said Harry, who shares son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 2, with his wife, Meghan Markle.
“As a man who was born into a life of service, I recognize that with power and a platform comes responsibility,” he continued. “And these days, I am determined to find and invest in solutions.”
The duke then briefly touched on politics, saying his royal upbringing played a key part in shaping his outlook on the world.
“I’m not one to be caught in the divide between left or right views, not cornered by a belief in blue or red,” he said. “Hell, I’ve never even been allowed to vote.”
The father of two then compared living in the US to his past as a UK citizen.
“The way that I answer the question of how we invest in our shared future is different now living in the US to when I was living in the UK,” he said. “Why? Because before I moved, so much of my life revolved around charity.”
Since becoming actively involved in philanthropic work, the duke said he’s “approached everything in my life through the lens of service.”
“From my institutional role traveling the world to my decade of duties in the military, I saw the power of serving others firsthand,” he told the crowd. “My personal experiences overseas taught me that when you put others first, you build stronger, more sustainable systems. That’s true from Nigeria to Nepal, and from Sydney to Santa Barbara.”
King Charles’ youngest son then touched on his work with the Invictus Games — which looks to celebrate its 11th year of service in 2025.
“It’s the same approach I’ve taken in founding charities like The Invictus Games Foundation back in 2014, that supports and rehabilitates wounded and injured service personnel and veterans through sport, and more recently with The Archewell Foundation, where we show up and do good for those who need it most, supporting social impact initiatives — including digital safety and education — all under the umbrella of protecting our collective mental health.”
Harry rounded off his surprise spiel by telling investors that he’s “spent the last five years, sometimes publicly but primarily quietly, investing in companies that align with my values and vision of a better tomorrow, companies that understand the power and significance of service.”
Harry went on to join Mark Suster, Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures, for a quick Q&A segment at the event.
The outing marked Harry’s first public appearance since wrapping up the 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler and Vancouver.
