Prince Harry joked he thought he was taking wife Meghan on a "date night" as the pair attended a glitzy awards gala.
The couple received the Ripple of Hope Award at a New York gala thrown by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organisation.
The accolade honours exemplary leaders across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment, and the pair were recognised for their racial justice and mental health work.
During the evening, the couple spoke with RFKHR president Kerry Kennedy - the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy.
And it prompted Harry to joke how he thought he was taking his wife Meghan on a "date night".
He told her: "I’ll be honest with you Kerry I just thought we were just going on a date night so I found it quite weird that we’re sharing the room with 1500 people.
"We don’t get out much these days because our kids are so small and young so, this is completely unexpected.”
To laughter from the audience, he added: "But it’s nice to share date night with all of you, so thank you for coming."
Meghan added: "Thank you for bringing me on this very special date night."
"You’re welcome," Harry said.
The pair were recognised alongside other honourees including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to the RFKHR, honourees are those who have demonstrated “an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice, and human rights”.
Ms Kennedy, who is the daughter of Robert F Kennedy, said the Sussexes had been "incredibly brave" in addressing the issues of racial justice and mental illness.
“They’ve stood up, they’ve talked about racial justice and they’ve talked about mental illness in a way that was incredibly brave,” she told US outlet Extra on the event’s blue carpet.
“In this world, in the wake of Covid there has been a massive spike… people around the globe have said they have anxiety and massive depression.
“For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalise discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave.”
At the event, Meghan wore a white, long-sleeved Louis Vuitton gown complete with a front slit and off-the-shoulder neckline, and the couple smiled at the crowds before posing on the event’s blue carpet.
Their appearance at the awards comes just hours before the launch of the couple’s tell-all Netflix show, which is due to begin streaming on Thursday.
The royal family is bracing itself for bombshell revelations, with Harry speaking of a "hierarchy in the family", a "dirty game", and warning "we know the full truth" in a trailer for the show.
