Why Prince Harry got scolded by Malala Yousafzai's mom: 'His face went red'

Why Prince Harry Got Scolded by Malala Yousafzai's Mom

Malala Yousafzai recently shared an amusing and awkward encounter involving Prince Harry during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show on October 31. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate described how her mother reacted when Harry placed his arm around Malala while posing for a photo.

“My mum was very strict; she wanted me to follow Pakistani traditional culture,”

Malala explained, adding that when she was 17, her mother approached Prince Harry and told him to remove his hand. The gesture, though innocent, clashed with her family’s values and customs.

“When I met Prince Harry, we were taking a photo together and he put his arm around my shoulder. My mum went up to him and said, ‘Remove.’ She just pushed his hand away.”

Speaking later on Lorraine Kelly’s ITV show, Malala added more context to the event:

“Prince Harry was very sweet, but my mum, because of the culture — a man putting an arm around a girl — she went up to him and said, ‘Remove — no touch.’ I was terrified at that moment; poor Prince Harry, his face went red.”

Despite the uncomfortable introduction, Malala and the Duke of Sussex later shared a friendly virtual conversation in 2020 alongside Meghan Markle for International Day of the Girl.

Author’s Summary

Malala Yousafzai humorously recalled how her mother’s cultural principles led to a brief but memorable moment of awkwardness with Prince Harry during a photo opportunity.

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The News International The News International — 2025-11-04

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