Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have accepted a human rights award at a Ripple of Hope gala in New York where they were honoured for addressing racial injustice and mental health.

The British royals received the award late on Tuesday (local time) from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, which honours leaders across government, business, advocacy and entertainment who have shown an “unwavering commitment to social change”.

Kerry Kennedy, president of the foundation and daughter of the slain United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy, said the couple had been “incredibly brave” to talk about their experience of racial injustice and mental illness, the Telegraph reported.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky was also among those honoured by the organisation.

Harry and Meghan said in a statement “a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change”.

The award came days before a much-anticipated Netflix documentary series, amid widespread speculation over what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will say about Britain’s royal family.

Since Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties two years ago and moved to California, they have delivered stinging criticism of the British monarchy and accusations of racism – accusations the family has dismissed.

Trailers for the series showed the prince accusing the royal household of leaking stories about the family and saying they were ready to tell the truth about their experience.

Buckingham Palace has not released any statements about the documentary series.

-AAP