"So she was always worried."
Malala Yousafzai revealed that her mother once told off Prince Harry for putting his arm around her when taking a photo together.
The activist was on The Graham Norton Show to promote her new memoir, Finding My Way, and she revealed that she was 17 at the time.
Malala recalled: “My mum wanted me to stick to the Pakistani traditional culture.
“When I met Prince Harry, we were taking a photo. And so he put his arm around my shoulder and my mum goes up and says, ‘Remove’.”
The Nobel Peace Prize winner explained that her mother, Toor Pekai Yousafzai, even “shoved” the prince’s arm away, leaving him red-faced.
Malala stated that Prince Harry was “very sweet”, continuing:
“For my mum, it was always a concern that her daughter is safe because in patriarchal cultures, girls are not allowed to be outside their homes or to see another guy.
“So she was always worried.”
Malala became the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her campaign for girls’ education.
She survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012 and went on to study at Oxford University.
She said the incident with Prince Harry wasn’t the only time her parents had strong opinions about her public appearances.
The activist laughed that they “were freaking out” when she was photographed standing “close together” with footballer David Beckham.
“They were receiving calls from our conservative relatives, that, ‘Why is Malala standing next to a man’.
“And I said, firstly, I’m 17. Secondly, that’s David Beckham.”
But Malala added that her mother has since adapted to life in the UK, learning English, taking up pilates, and embracing her new surroundings.
Malala joked:
“She’s now at John Lewis more than at home.”
Malala and Prince Harry reunited in 2020 for a virtual discussion marking International Day of the Girl.
The chat, which also featured Meghan Markle, focused on girls’ education during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meghan told Malala: “Just thank you so much for having us on such an important day. For girls all over the world, when young girls have access to education, everyone wins and succeeds. It opens the door for societal success.”
Malala discusses the challenges of balancing her heritage and modern life in her new memoir, Finding My Way, which details how she rebuilt her life after surviving the Taliban attack.
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