Why Prince Harry Got Scolded by Malala Yousafzai's Mom
Malala Yousafzai shared an unexpected awkward moment involving Prince Harry during a royal encounter. On October 31, in an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate recounted how her mother firmly reacted when Prince Harry placed his arm around her for a photo.
“My mum was also very strict, she wanted me to stick to the Pakistani traditional culture,” Malala explained. “So when I met Prince Harry, we were taking a photo together and he put his arm around my shoulder and my mum goes up to him and she says, ‘Remove.’ She just, like, shoves off his hand.”
At that time, Malala was 17 years old. She noted that her family’s cultural values influenced her mother’s protective behavior. The topic came up again during an appearance on Lorraine Kelly's ITV show, where Malala elaborated:
“Prince Harry was very, very sweet and he put his arm around me… but my mum, because of the culture, it’s a man putting an arm around a girl. She just went up to Prince Harry and said, ‘Remove — no touch.’ I was terrified when that was happening — poor Prince Harry, his face went red.”
Despite the initial awkwardness, Malala and Prince Harry reconnected in 2020 for a virtual discussion with Meghan Markle on International Day of the Girl.
Summary
Malala's mother defended cultural traditions by scolding Prince Harry for placing his arm around Malala, leading to an awkward but ultimately friendly royal encounter.