Another day, another instance of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being adorable during their grand royal tour of Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and Tonga. On Wednesday, Meghan gave her first official royal speech of the trip, and used the opportunity to talk about empowering women. After his wife addressed students at the University of South Pacific about the importance of education for women and girls, Prince Harry proved that he, too, was blown away by her talk, heaping praise for Meghan as he skirted around a potentially awkward moment.
According to royal correspondent Omid Scobie, the event’s MC was, apparently, so moved by Meghan’s speech that he forgot to introduce Prince Harry, who was set to address the crowd after the duchess was finished with her own remarks. Harry, fully understanding this gaffe, reportedly cracked a few jokes as he approached the podium. “I thought I got away with it,” he said. “No way that I could follow my wife after that.”
Despite his jokes, Harry used his time at the podium to make an impact, too. “The Commonwealth is all about cooperation and collaboration. Your generation, and our children, will benefit from what you are doing today,” he said, per Scobie.
Meghan also reportedly met with students at the university who have an “interest in youth empowerment,” and reportedly spoke to them about “the importance of young people getting involved in political discussions and empowering students to become job creators not job seekers.” To finish their visit, the royal couple received flower garlands from university students.
This is hardly the first time Prince Harry has played the role of supporting husband during a Meghan Markle moment. At the launch of her cookbook, Together: Our Community Cookbook, in September, Meghan delivered her first speech as a royal, and Harry was once again there, beaming with pride. Luckily, that time the duke didn’t have to take the stage after his incredible wife.