Prince Harry makes first high-profile appearance in New York: Photos

Prince Harry appeared in high spirits as he began his New York trip with a glitzy event over the weekend.

The Duke of Sussex, who announced earlier this month that he will making several trips, including one to the Big Apple, to attend as series of important events.

The first event was a high-profile dinner organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the NYC to honour survivors of childhood violence and discuss its impact on mental health.

In attendance were Queen Mathilde of Belgium and the prime minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo. Country officials from Sweden, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Canada, Iceland, and Brazil were present at the swanky dinner.

According to Harry’s spokesperson, the Duke aims to “advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives,” especially engagements associated to his charities such as African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst.

Surprisingly, Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, who has been inseparable from the royal was missing at the event.

The event also comes ahead of Prince Harry’s UK trip which is expected to take place next week. The Duke will be attending the WellChild Awards, a charity to which he has been a patron to for 16 years.

It is uncertain if Prince Harry will be paying a visit to his father King Charles during his upcoming UK trip.