Ed Sheeran and Prince Harry (almost) unite as gingers for World Mental Health Day
Go ahead, name a more iconic British ginger duo than Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran. We’ll wait.
England’s two favorite redheads joined forces for World Mental Health Day, collaborating on a cheeky video out Thursday to promote mental health awareness — or at least that’s what Harry thought. The clip, posted Thursday to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s official Instagram account, initially sees the pair of Brits on the same page, chatting about causes that are important to them.
“This, for me, is a subject and a conversation that’s just not talked about enough, and I think people all over the world are really suffering,” a serious Harry tells the “Shape of You” singer.
Sheeran promptly agrees, divulging that he’s been working on a song “to get it out to more people.” Soon, however, there appears to be a misunderstanding between the two regarding the subject of their visit.
“People just don’t understand what it’s like for people like us,” Sheeran says. Harry is confused, asking, “Yeah, I mean — what?”
“Well, you know, with the jokes and snide comments,” Sheeran continues as the prince’s brow furrows deeper. “I just feel like it’s time we stood up and said, ‘We’re not going to take this anymore. We are ginger, and we’re going to fight.’”
A freshly enlightened Harry then addresses the “slightly awkward” situation, redirecting the conversation to World Mental Health Day as Sheeran sheepishly deletes the words, “HRH Prince Harry and the king of ging Ed Sheeran get together to change the perception of people with Moroccan sunset hair,” from a laptop slide titled “Gingers Unite.”
For the remainder of the video, the singer and prince drop the act to deliver a PSA calling for viewers to be more considerate and sensitive to those around them.
“Guys, this World Mental Health Day, reach out,” Harry says. “Make sure that your friends, strangers — look out for anybody that might be suffering in silence, and we’re all in this together.”
The post also included links to Instagram accounts providing resources and support.
Britain’s Prince Harry is suing the Mail on Sunday and its parent company over the publication of Meghan Markle’s private letter to her estranged father.
The lighthearted clip comes just more than a week after news broke that Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stood up to their alleged real-life bullies by suing Britain’s Associated Newspapers for publishing what the prince called “relentless propaganda” against his wife — most recently in the form of an emotional, private letter Meghan rote to her estranged father, which was released by the Mail on Sunday.
Harry, whose relationship with the media has long been tainted by the paparazzi storm once directed at his late mother, Princess Diana, warned the outlet of the dangers of excessive media scrutiny in a statement issued earlier this month.
“Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one,” he wrote. “Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
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