Prince Harry makes veiled attack on Donald Trump and Elon Musk at LA summit

Prince Harry warned that 'basic morals and empathy' have been 'abandoned in favour of power and control' in what appeared to be a critique of Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Photo / Getty Images

“A sickness in leadership across sectors – from politics to tech – can have a detrimental effect on millions," says the Duke of Sussex.

The Duke of Sussex has launched a veiled attack on Donald Trump and Elon Musk, criticising the “sickness in leadership” in politics and tech.

Prince Harry made an unannounced appearance at the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, when he warned that “basic morals and empathy” had been “abandoned in favour of power and control”.

His speech at the annual event hosting more than 1000 investors, entrepreneurs and leaders in tech, came just hours after Sir Keir Starmer met Trump at the White House and delivered a handwritten invitation from the King.

The duke told the audience that he had “never been allowed to vote” and so was not “cornered by a belief in blue or red”.

But he added: “Now this would be a great time to talk about how a sickness in leadership across sectors – from politics to tech – can have a detrimental effect on millions, if not billions, of people.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk head the new US administration. Photo / Getty Images

“When service to others is sacrificed for personal gain. When basic morals and empathy are abandoned in favour of power and control. But I’m not gonna get into all that now.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long campaigned against the perils of social media, warning that children are “force-fed” mindless content by powerful tech companies that “refuse to change”.

Harry has previously suggested that social media users were being exploited for what was nothing more than a “human experiment”.

During a visit to Colombia last August, he appeared to criticise Musk, the owner of X, when he railed against the false information allowed to circulate online shortly after the UK riots that followed the Southport killings.

“What happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets,” he said.

“People are acting on information that isn’t true. It comes down to all of us to be able to spot the true from the fake. In an ideal world, those with positions of influence would take more responsibility.”

On Thursday, President Trump accepted the King’s double invitation for a visit to Scotland followed by an “unprecedented” second state visit.

But while Trump has heaped praise on both the Prince of Wales and his “wonderful” father, the King, there is no love lost with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Donald Trump recently said Prince Harry has 'enough problems with his wife', referring to Meghan as 'terrible'. Photo / Getty Images

Before marrying into the Royal family, Meghan described Trump as “misogynistic” and “divisive”.

Earlier in February, the President ruled out deporting Harry from the US over claims of historic drug-taking, insisting he had “enough problems with his wife”, whom he said was “terrible”.

His remarks represented a volte-face on his earlier position, when he said he would not “protect” the duke as he had “betrayed the Queen”.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, the duke and duchess prompted a spat when they appeared to back Joe Biden over Trump, urging American voters to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity”.

The duke’s latest appearance came as it emerged that he and Meghan had hired a former American Idol talent manager as their chief communications officer.

Meredith Maines replaces Ashley Hansen, who has become the latest in a long line of high-profile departures from their team.

Hansen parted ways with the couple last October, shortly after stepping back to set up her own firm, of which they were briefly clients.

Maines, who started her career at Google, appears to be a fan of the Royal family, admitting on social media in 2011 that she had obsessively watched “eight hours” of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ wedding coverage.

'Too often, social media and tech companies have built products that place engagement over safety,' said Prince Harry. Photo / @lindsaygoffman

In his speech, the duke suggested that he no longer considered the charity work he undertook as a fulltime working royal the best way to deliver change.

“The way that I answer the question of how we invest in our shared future is different now living in the US, to when I was living in the UK,” he said.

“Why? Because before I moved, so much of my life revolved around charity.

“Since then, while my charities remain a core part of my life’s work, I’ve also been focusing on upstream solutions and prevention, driven by decisions and investments that address problems before they require fixing.”

The duke insisted that he had approached “everything” in his life “through the lens of service”.

He revealed that he had spent the past five years quietly investing in companies that align with his values and take a long-term approach to societal problems.

“Too often, social media and tech companies have built products that place engagement over safety,” he said.

“I’ve seen first-hand how technology can bring people together, but more often how it can divide and harm them – especially our children.”

The duke said that every business decision should reflect a commitment to serving others, adding that his vision for the future involved companies designed “not just for profit”.

“After all, if we carry on at this rate, even the most profitable companies will exist in a world of smoke and rage.”