Prince Harry was “shoved” by Malala Yousafzai’s mother in what the activist labelled as a “terrifying” moment.
Despite Ms Yousafzai describing the Duke of Sussex as “sweet”, she explained that her mother threw the prince’s arm away from her daughter when posing for a photo.
Ms Yousafzai, who was 17 at the time, was taking a picture with Harry after becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
She won the award for her fight for the right of all children to education, having previously survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012.
Malala Yousafzai described Prince Harry as ‘sweet’ despite her mother shoving his arm off her
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Speaking to broadcaster Lorraine Kelly, Ms Yousafzai said: “Prince Harry was very sweet and he put his arm around me when we were taking a photo together, and my mum, because of the culture, it’s a man putting an arm around a girl.
“I was a little girl, and she just went up to Prince Harry and she shoved off his hand and said: ‘Remove. No touch.’
“I was terrified when that was happening – poor Prince Harry, his face went red.
“He was then very respectful, but in that moment, I was thinking of what my mum had seen growing up as a kid.”
Malala said Harry was ‘very respectful’ after the moment
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Ms Yousafzai explained that her mother had a “different life” with “her friends [being] married off at early ages”.
The activist continued: “She was trying to protect her daughter, I fully get that.
“It’s a conversation because we need to be breaking these stereotypes and we need to challenge patriarchy.”
Ms Yousafzai and Harry had a better exchange in 2020 over a virtual chat, with the prince’s wife, Meghan Markle, joining the duo.
Meghan and Harry spoke to Malala over the Covid-19 pandemic
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The discussion took place over the COVID-19 pandemic, with the trio celebrating International Day of the Girl.
During the conversation, the Sussexes talked about the importance of a girl’s right to a fair education and the impact of the pandemic on young women’s access to education.
Meghan told Ms Yousafzai: “Just thank you so much for having us on such an important day.
“For girls all over the world, when young girls have access to education, everyone wins and succeeds. It opens the door for societal success.”
Meghan thanked Malala for her work in pushing for young girl’s to have an education
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After Ms Yousafzai asked the couple about their own education, Meghan stated: “In terms of education, not only did I have the ability to go to school at a young age, but I also went to university.”
The prince noted that he took his education for granted, saying: “It is a privilege, but every single person, every single young person across the world needs an education.
“To know there are 113 million girls out of education, the numbers are only going to go up.
“It worries me and probably worries all of us, the effect of that has not only on the family but also on society as well.”