The Duchess had some more empowering words of wisdom to share with the school’s young students, telling them they’re all entitled to “speak up for what is right.”
“When we thought about what I wanted to do for International Women’s Day this year, for me it was incredibly important to be with the women of our future,” Markle began her impassioned speech. “And that is all of you young women here as well as you young men who play a very large part in this.”
“No matter how small you might feel, how low you may feel on the ladder or the totem pole, no matter what colour you are, no matter what gender you are—you have a voice, and you certainly have the right to speak up for what is right,” she continued.
Markle also urged the young men in the room to “protect” and “value” the women in their lives every day.
“You have your mothers, sisters, girlfriends in your life. Protect them. Make sure they are feeling valued, and safe,” she said. “Lets all just rally together to make International Women’s Day something that’s not just on Sunday but frankly feels like every day of the year.”
As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry wrap up their final royal engagements before heading back to their new lives in Canada, they spent some quality time with Queen Elizabeth II at church on Sunday morning, March 8.
The Queen invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join her for church service in Windsor, marking what is believed to be the first time Markle will have seen the monarch since the couple announced they were stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family. (Prince Harry has sat down with his grandmother and other members of the Royal family several times since the announcement, but Markle remained in Canada with the couple’s son Archie.)
“It was a really sweet gesture that the Queen asked them to church,” a source told People. “It’s telling in the sense that these two are still her family. And as a family, they all love each other.”
In photos obtained by the outlet, Prince Harry was seen driving his wife to the Royal Chapel of All Saints as Markle smiled and waved at fans.
This is only the third time we’ve seen Markle since the pair announced they were stepping down from their royal duties. This week, the couple made a joint appearance at the annual Endeavour Fund Awards in London before attending the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall in London in matching red ensembles.
The reunion follows the Queen’s emotional statement from earlier this year, emphasizing that “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members” of her family.
“I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life,” she said in the statement. “I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.”
The Sussexes are also set to attend the Commonwealth Day service on Monday, March 9, where they will reunite with Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton in public for the first time since this all began in January.
(Prince) Harry has made some solo appearances since stepping down, but the Edeavour Awards marks his first photographed event with Markle. (The two reportedly attended a J.P. Morgan event in February, but that was never confirmed by the Sussexes.)
This is the first of several royal engagements Meghan Markle and (Prince) Harry will have while in London. The last one will be the annual Commonwealth Day next Monday, March 9, where they’ll join Queen Elizabeth II along with Prince Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
As you know by now, Markle and (Prince) Harry are splitting their time between North America and the U.K. after announcing in January they’d be stepping back from the royal family. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they wrote on Instagram at the time.
The post continued, “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”
We can’t wait to see what else comes from this mini royal engagement tour in London.
And if you can’t get enough of Markle’s look, shop similar options below.
According to The Daily Mail, Meghan’s “friends” are saying she and Harry feel “picked on” over all the new sanctions on when and where the couple can use their titles and the restriction on the use of the word royal. Meghan, according to a source, doesn’t appreciate the insinuation that she and Harry would use the title for financial gain.
Starting on April 1st, Meghan and Harry will no longer be able to use royal in any of their branding (we’ll miss you, @sussexroyal). On February 21st, the couple’s spokesperson released a statement clarifying the new rules.
“While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding the use of the word ‘Royal,’ it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation will not utilise the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal,’” the statement said on their website. “For the above reason, the trademark applications that had been filed as protective measures and that reflected the same standard trademarking requests as done for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed.”
Unfortunately, according to Us Weekly, this public statement high-key upset Queen Elizabeth II and caused another round of family drama. “She’s so disappointed that her own grandchild would heap so much embarrassment on the monarchy and bring all this unwanted attention on his family at the worst possible time,” a source told the publication.
Now The Daily Mail source claiming to be close with the couple says it’s Meghan and, by extension, Harry who feel slighted. Apparently, there are rumors that the queen only put all these rules in place to avoid backlash from other, possibly jealous, members of the family and court.
Honestly, it seems like everyone involved would like to fast-forward through the next couple of months of this transition. While the queen has been very supportive of Meghan Markle and (Prince) Harry’s choice to step back from senior royal duties and life in the U.K. (reportedly urging the family “not to obstruct their aspirations for a new life”), it’s all taken a bit of a toll. A source recently revealed to Vanity Fair that “this has been rather hurtful for her” and that Her Royal Highness just wants it “over and done with.”
As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry prepare to step back from royal duties, there’s been a lot of speculation about what exactly this is going to look like. They’re already in Vancouver, where they’ll mostly be based (although they’ll still be coming back to the U.K. often), and they’re also taking on work outside of the royal family—Prince Harry’s already spoken at a J.P. Morgan event. The latest details, from Friday, February 21, were that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would no longer be able to use the terms “royal” and “Sussex royal” going forward.
Now, we’re getting the rest straight from the couple themselves: The Sussex Royal website posted the complete game plan for Megan and Harry’s departure on Friday. “We had hoped to be allowed to share these details with you sooner (to mitigate any confusion and subsequent misreporting), but the facts below should help provide some clarification around this transition and the steps for the future,” the website explains.
And wow, it covers a lot. Some of it we knew already (like that they’ll no longer be able to use public funding and will be able to make their own money), but it’s good to have it all laid out. It’s worth keeping in mind that this whole thing is a trial period—the guidelines Meg, Harry, and the royal family established will be revisited next year to make sure it’s working out for everyone.
Here’s a few more details:
They’re no longer allowed to “undertake representative duties” on the queen’s behalf. But they get to keep their charitable patronages, which include the Invictus Games that Harry founded, Rhino Conservation Botswana, and quite a few rugby organizations.
They get to technically keep their formal HRH Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles—but they’re not allowed to actively use them.
Prince Harry remains sixth in line to the throne.
They’ll keep a security detail (sadly due to a “shared threat and risk level” that’s been documented over the past couple of years).
Harry gets to keep his military rank of Major and honorary ranks of Lieutenant Commander and Squadron Leader, but his “official military appointments” won’t be used for the year-long review period—nor is he allowed to “perform any official duties associated with these roles.” It’s cool if he supports the military in a non-official capacity, though, like through his work with the Invictus Games.
Harry and Megan’s Institutional Office, which coordinated their royal activities, is getting shut down because it’s primarily funded by Prince Charles. “Over the last month and a half, The Duke and Duchess have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been saddening for The Duke and Duchess and their loyal staff, given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team.”
In other news, they’re also not starting a “foundation” (quotes theirs) but they are creating a nonprofit organization. Details on this are still very TBD, but it seems they’re doing this on top of their other charitable work—so they’re definitely staying busy.
And yep, you can expect a social media and website rebranding to coincide with their Spring 2020 departure now that using the R-word is out of the question—RIP @SussexRoyal.
Looks like we finally have some news about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s duties since stepping down as senior members of the family.
After scaling back from the royal family in London and moving to Canada back in January—reportedly giving up their HRH titles in the process—the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been enjoying a quiet new life in Vancouver while planning their new ventures and charity organization. However, it looks like some i‘s and t‘s still need to be dotted and crossed with their folks back in the U.K.
According to royal reporter Omid Scobie, Buckingham Palace has released a bit more info on their transition process, which will officially begin on March 31. “The Royal Family and Sussexes have agreed to an initial 12-month review to ensure the arrangement works for all parties,” a source said, per Scobie.
“From April 1, the Sussexes will no longer have an office at Buckingham Palace but will continue to [be] repped in the U.K. through their foundation team,” writes Scobie in a second tweet. “It’s confirmed that the couple will retain their other titles of The Earl & Countess of Dumbarton and The Baron & Baroness Kilkeel.”
Prince Harry will reportedly also maintain his ranks of major, lieutenant commander, and squadron leader. Here’s where things get a little murky. “However, during this 12-month period his honorary military positions will not be used,” Scobie says in another tweet. “No new appointments will be made to fill these roles before the review is completed.”
As for that trip back to London, Prince Harry and Markle are not going to have a whole lot of free time on their hands. The trip will begin with a visit with Bon Jovi at a recording session of his song “Unbroken” with the Invictus Games Choir. Despite reports that Prince William and Middleton will be steering the Royal Foundation toward organizations closer to their own hearts, it seems Prince Harry will not be ignoring his commitment to the games in the near future.
Following that, Meghan and Harry will attend a slew of engagements before joining Queen Elizabeth II and members of the royal family for the Commonwealth Day service on March 9. The day before that, Markle will “mark” International Women’s Day 2020. No word yet on whatever that means.
After their visit, a “palace source” says the couple will be back in the U.K. “regularly.” Good! That gives the two princes plenty of opportunities to start mending that supposed rift.
