8 Indians get Queen's Young Leaders Award

Eight Indians were among the 240 influential change-makers, representing 53 Commonwealth countries, who received the prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Awards from Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday.

Britain's Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle were among those who greeted the winners of the Special Youth Leadership Award.

Aditya Kulkarni, Deane De Menezes and Trisha Shetty were the winners while Devanshi Rathi, Piyush Ghosh, Roshan Kokane, Saima Khan and Sharad Vivek Sagar were in the runners-up positions.

Kulkarni is developing mobile health solutions to help reduce maternal and child mortality in areas with limited health resources.

De Menezes is determined to tackle the stigma around menstruation in India. She is the founder of 'Red is the new Green,' a project which aims to end the embarrassment felt by women and girls about their periods, while providing eco-friendly solutions to tackling sanitary waste.

Shetty works to promote gender equality. She is the founder of SheSays, a youth-led organisation that aims to end sexual violence and improve education, healthcare and sanitation, and inform public policy.

Prince Harry addressed the "future leaders" at a reception held at Buckingham Palace where they were presented with a medal for outstanding contributions to their communities.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex pose for a picture with some of Queen's Young Leaders at a Buckingham Palace reception following the final Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony, in London, Britain. Reuters Photo

"You are the future leaders who will need to pick up the baton on issues such as climate change, food security, equality and access to education, and improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in our communities," Prince Harry told the winners of the Young Leaders Awards.

Markle, wearing a white Prada suit with black shoes, and Prince Harry in a dark suit chatted and joked with the award recipients. The ceremony was attended by soccer star David Beckham and former British Prime Minister John Major.