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On February 27, 2026, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised many by making a virtual appearance at the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors.
Fresh from completing a two-day humanitarian trip to Jordan, Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, 44, graced the event through a pre-recorded video message. The couple presented the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, delivering their message from a familiar backdrop often seen in their joint engagements.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made a surprise virtual appearance at the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors
Their video appearance was broadcast on Thursday, February 26, coinciding with the conclusion of their international engagements that highlighted health, mental healthcare, and support for communities impacted by conflict.
While in Jordan, Harry and Meghan collaborated with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, participating in meetings and site visits.
During the Jordan visit, Harry and Meghan joined World Health Organization director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for meetings and site visits.
The pair undertook similar philanthropic trips to Nigeria and Colombia in 2024.
The NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, established in 2022 in partnership with the couple’s charitable organisation – rebranded as Archewell Philanthropies last year – recognises individuals advancing digital civil rights and technology equity.
The 2026 honour was awarded to Dr Mary Anne Franks for her work with the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.
The NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors event preceded the 57th NAACP Image Awards, scheduled for Saturday (28.02.26), celebrating achievements by people of colour across more than 80 creative categories spanning film, television, music, literature and podcasts.
Harry and Meghan have longstanding ties to the NAACP.
In 2022, they were presented with the President’s Award in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service at the NAACP Image Awards.
The honour came two years after the launch of their Archewell charity, which supported efforts to tackle the Covid pandemic, backed the Black Lives Matter movement and campaigned for racial justice.
In 2024, Harry and Meghan personally informed Dr Joy Buolamwini she was the recipient of that year’s NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, recognising her advocacy and research addressing racist and sexist biases in artificial intelligence.
Their appearance comes during one of the most fraught times in history for the royal family, which has seen the former Prince Andrew, 66, released “under investigation” after he was quizzed by police for nearly 12 hours last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office – an allegation linked to claims he fed sensitive information to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while acting as a UK trade envoy.
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