Malala Yousafzai recently opened up about a royal encounter that took an unexpectedly awkward turn, revealing a humorous yet culturally rooted moment involving Prince Harry and her mother. During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show on October 31, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate recounted how her mother quickly intervened when Prince Harry placed his arm around Malala while posing for a photograph.
“My mum was also very strict, she wanted me to stick to the Pakistani traditional culture,” Malala explained. “So when I met Prince Harry, we were taking a photo together and he put his arm around my shoulder and my mum goes up to him and says, ‘Remove.’ She just, like, shoves off his hand,” she recalled, laughing. Malala, who was 17 years old at the time, said her mother’s reaction reflected deeply ingrained cultural traditions and family values emphasizing modesty.
When asked about the moment again on Lorraine Kelly’s ITV show, Malala elaborated, “Prince Harry was very, very sweet and he put his arm around me… but my mum, because of the culture, it’s a man putting an arm around a girl she just went up to him and said, ‘Remove, no touch.’ I was terrified when that was happening, poor Prince Harry, his face went red.”
Despite the awkward encounter, Malala later reconnected with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2020 for a virtual discussion on International Day of the Girl, where they discussed global education for young women during the pandemic.
“When young girls have access to education, everyone wins,” Meghan said during the call, while Prince Harry reflected, “To know there are 113 million girls out of education, the numbers only go up. It worries me and probably worried all of us, the effect that has not only on families but also on society.”
Malala’s story highlights how cultural values and royal etiquette can collide in amusing ways, reminding audiences that even global icons have their share of relatable, human moments.
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