Prince Harry looked all smiles at the VIP cocktail reception for Friend (A Survey of Op Art & Minimalism), a new exhibition set to raise funds for Sentebale, the charity the prince cofounded in 2006.
Harry, 40, dressed in a dapper suit and white dress shirt at the event on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ki Smith Gallery in New York City. He mingled with fellow guests and introduced a panel discussion on the intersection of art and impact.
Friend, which opens to the public on December 14, is a specially curated exhibition featuring works by artists Bridget Riley, Frank Stella, Tadaaki Kuwayama, Alana Dee Haynes, Dylan Reitz-Cruz and Sono Kuwayama. The sales proceeds will benefit Sentebale, which supports young people in Southern Africa to find sustainable solutions for health, wealth creation and climate resilience.
“We are deeply grateful to Ki for curating this remarkable exhibition and for traveling with us to Lesotho and South Africa in October to witness firsthand the impact of Sentebale’s work,” Harry said in a statement. “To the incredible artists who have contributed their talent and vision, thank you for lending your voices to Sentebale.”
Hours before Wednesday’s intimate cultural event, Harry shut down speculation of marital trouble with his wife, Meghan Markle.
“Apparently, we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times,” Harry joked during the New York Times DealBook Summit in New York City. “We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?”
Andrew Ross Sorkin, who interviewed Harry onstage at the event, asked him about the public fascination with his marriage as well as speculation as to why he and Meghan, 43, have attended recent events separately.
“‘Why are you making, doing independent events? Why aren’t you doing them together?’” Sorkin, 47, questioned, to which Harry replied, “Because you invited me, you should have known!”
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“True,” Sorkin responded. “Is that normal for you? The second there’s an article — she’s in California, you’re in New York — they say, ‘Well, what is happening with these two, right?’ Is that a good thing for you, in a way, that there’s so much interest in you?”
Harry responded, “That’s definitely not a good thing.”
The prince continued, “It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it. The people I feel most sorry about are the trolls. Their hopes are just built and built, and it’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,’ and then it doesn’t happen. So I feel sorry for them. Genuinely, I do.”