Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Mocked by Critics Over 'Snippy' Response to Diana Awards 'Meltdown' — After Couple Rages Over Duke's Failed Lawsuit
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle were accused by critics of giving an 'snippy' statement about not attending The Diana Award dinner.
Sept. 3 2026, Published 4:21 p.m. ET
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been back on U.K. soil for only a matter of days and have already found themselves embroiled in a fresh spat with a British tabloid, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Sussexes released a response to The Mail on Sunday reporting that the couple planned to attend an upcoming gala dinner for The Diana Award on September 18. The honor was created in memory of Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, and recognizes outstanding humanitarian work.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Issue Fiery Response
The couple's spokesman called out a Daily Mail story claiming the Sussexes were attending the Diana Award dinner.
One of the reported reasons for the couple's move back to the U.K. was so that Harry, 41, could go back to working on charitable efforts, but the duo's camp issued a fiery denial that they would be on hand for The Diana Award dinner.
"Despite the Daily Mail’s reporting to the contrary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not scheduled to attend a Diana Award event at Raffles Hotel, OWO London, on September 18," the pair said through their spokesperson in a Wednesday, September 2, statement to the Daily Mirror.
Harry infamously lost his invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday on July 7 and could be on the hook for millions to the outlets' publisher. The prince later called Judge Matthew Nicklin's decision to dismiss the claims a "whitewash."
'Neither Made the Guest List'
Prine Harry attended The Diana Award's National Youth Mentoring Summit in 2019.
The next line left some fans confused, as it read, "Facts matter. Accuracy matters. Apparently, neither made the guest list for this particular story."
One Sussex fan pondered on X, "I don’t like that phrasing because he could’ve just said they aren’t attending instead of saying they weren’t invited."
The screenshot made it onto Reddit, where some users quickly realized the statement meant that "facts" and "accuracy" were not on the story's "guest list," rather than Harry and Markle not being on the invitees list for The Diana Award dinner.
Harry attended an event with the group in September 2025 at the end of a jaunt back to the U.K., while he and his estranged brother, Prince William, have extensively supported the organization over the years.
'They Sound Very Unhinged'
One Redditor called the statement a 'meltdown.'
One Redditor who wrote the initial post claimed, "The Sussexes are unhappy, judging from this quite snippy response."
"Wow, what a meltdown," a second user wrote about the couple's statement, and a third person agreed, "They sound very unhinged."
Prince William Made an Appearance for The Diana Award
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Prince William met with some of The Diana Award honorees at a panel in London in June.
William opened the 2023 gala dinner but appeared virtually rather than in person.
The Diana Award's website read, "We’re proud to be the only charity set up in memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and her belief that young people have the power to change the world," next to a photo of the future king surrounded by some of the recipients of the prize.
William also attended a SXSW London event in June to meet with two of the Legacy Award Recipients following a panel discussion on how a new generation is shaking up the traditional power structure, using everything from activism and entrepreneurship to grassroots action to confront challenges facing their future
