Eric Todisco
Prince Harry is making his rounds on his weeklong trip away from his wife, Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, attended a charity dinner in New York City on Sunday night. The event, hosted by the World Health Organization, honored survivors of childhood violence.
Harry was seen greeting Belgium’s Queen Mathilde and actor Forest Whitaker at the gala.
The father of two was all smiles while dressed in a black suit jacket over a white button-up shirt.
He spoke to the crowd and urged for more help for kids facing corporal punishment, bullying, online violence and sexual abuse, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite being an anti-bullying activist, Markle, 43, was absent from the event.
Harry is away from Markle, 43, and their kids Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, for over a week for work events that require him to travel from his home Montecito, Calif.
On Friday night, he went to Kevin Costner’s charity concert for first responders in Santa Barbara County on the actor’s beachfront estate in Carpinteria, Calif.
Harry’s duties included presenting an award to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office helicopter pilot Loren Courtney.
A source told The Mirror that Markle wasn’t in attendance because she was allegedly “sick.”
Phil Dampier, author of “Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words,” told the Daily Mail that Harry is making the most of his solo trip.
“Harry sometimes feels like a spare part and he often looks unhappy when he’s out with Meghan at events in California,” said Dampier.
“I think he has reached a point where he wants more for himself. He’s turned 40 and must be asking himself what the future holds.”
Dampier added of Harry, “I think he’s desperate to find some new meaning to his life and that seems to involve branching out on his own more. He clearly wants to find some causes he can get involved in and give his life some purpose.”
Dampier also claimed that Markle “doesn’t want to come back” to the UK, where Harry will visit after New York.
Harry is scheduled for several events in the Big Apple including The Diana Award.
The charity behind Princess Diana’s legacy award said on X (formerly Twitter) that Harry is leading an event that “will be driven by young people and their insights on the biggest issues facing their generation today.”
After leaving NY, Harry will travel back to the UK where he is the guest of honor for the WellChild Awards in London on Sept. 30.
It’s doubtful Harry will reunite with his estranged family, including dad King Charles III and brother Prince William, when he is in London.
However, the royals did send Harry birthday wishes over social media when he turned 40 on September 15.
It marked the first time any such message was made to Harry in three years.
This post was originally posted by NYPost
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