Their stroll down the red carpet was brief, as cameras clicked and reporters screamed their names. The royal Duke and Duchess of Sussex — aka Prince Harry and Meghan Markle — were the most sought-after honorees at the Ripple of Hope Gala Tuesday night in midtown Manhattan.
They were being honored by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights nonprofit for their humanitarian work, receiving an award linked to their ongoing work on causes like mental health and racial equity issues.
"They’ve stood up they’ve talked about racial justice and they talked about mental illness in a way that was incredibly brave," said RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy.
The charity also announced during the gala that they will be teaming up with Meghan and Harry’s Archwell Foundation to offer an award in gender equity in student film. The winner will have their work shown at the Tribeca Festival.
However, the couple has garnered more attention lately for their soon-to-be released Netflix docuseries in which they talk about their experience with — and departure from — the royal family. The documentary is already under fire for portraying the couple as hounded by the press, using examples that were pre-planned photo ops and red carpet events.
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At the UK outpost "Tea & Sympathy" in the West Village, some questioned why a couple that claims to hate attention would be part of a multi-part documentary about themselves, along with other high-profile appearances.
"I don't know, maybe I'm a little ignorant, but if I thought if you wanted to avoid attention maybe don't do a prime time special with Oprah. What do I know?" said Sean Kavanagh.
But others are excited to see what the couple's take on the whole situation is.
"I love him. I think he's my favorite actually. I think he's a wonderful human being. And I think everyone should shut up and leave them alone," said Nicky Perry.
Notably, on Tuesday night's red carpet was Alec Baldwin, another famous figure who knows a thing or two about controversy. But he had nothing but praise and admiration for the couple.
"I think it’s great that they have agreed to support this cause which we have supported for years," Baldwin said.
