Prince Harry issues stark warning against misinformation on social media

Prince Harry has spoken out in a candid interview about how misinformation on social media could pose a threat to democracy.

• The Duke of Sussex has revealed his concerns about the spread of misinformation online.
• He claimed that “at the largest scale” we are “losing our democracies”. 
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after Prince William's private struggles with parenthood were revealed by Kate Middleton (opens in new tab). 

Prince Harry (opens in new tab) has opened up about his concerns over the spread of misinformation on social media in a moving interview with Fast Company following the Capitol riot in the US.

"We have seen time and again what happens when the real-world cost of misinformation is disregarded.

“There is no way to downplay this. There was a literal attack on democracy in the United States, organised on social media, which is an issue of violent extremism," Prince Harry said. 

He went on to add, “In Brazil, social media provided a conduit for misinformation which ultimately brought destruction to the Amazon, which is an environmental and global health issue.”

Within this significant interview, Prince Harry also shared his perspective on social media’s role in society.

"We are losing loved ones to conspiracy theories, losing a sense of self because of the barrage of mistruths, and at the largest scale, losing our democracies.”

On the topic of his own personal experiences with social media, Prince Harry went on to talk of how his wife Meghan Markle (opens in new tab)’s story was told. 

“I was really surprised to witness how my story had been told one way, my wife’s story had been told one way, and then our union sparked something that made the telling of that story very different,” the Duke of Sussex explained.

“That false narrative became the mothership for all of the harassment [the interviewer is] referring to. It wouldn’t have even begun had our story just been told truthfully."

However, he acknowledged that their own experience has lead to them, “hearing from so many others around the world.” 

"We’ve thought a lot about those in much more vulnerable positions than us, and how much of a need there is for real empathy and support," the Duke of Sussex shared.

“To their own degree, everyone has been deeply affected by the current consequences of the digital space.”