Meghan Markle joined Prince Harry and the Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge for their first public engagement as a foursome on Wednesday (28Feb18).
The former Suits actress, who is set to marry Harry in May (18), took to the stage along with his brother William and his pregnant wife Catherine at their first annual Royal Foundation Forum.
During the event, Meghan said she was “very excited” to partner with the foundation, praised the “tremendous” work the three royals had done so far, and explained that she had experience collaborating with international charities and smaller organizations.
The 36-year-old, who wore a navy Jason Wu wrap dress, also spoke about the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which tackle discrimination, gender inequality and sexual abuse, while speaking about the need to empower women.
“Women don’t need to find a voice, they have a voice, they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen,” she said. “I think right now in the climate where we are seeing so many campaigns like #MeToo and Time’s Up, there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people really helping to support them…and that makes such a tremendous difference.”
Her future brother-in-law William had earlier welcomed Meghan in his opening address, saying they were “particularly happy” she was joining their Royal Foundation event. She will formally become a patron of the organization, which the brothers set up to pursue their charitable and philanthropic interests, once she gets married to Harry and becomes a member of the royal family.
The couple are set to tie the knot at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on 19 May, and Harry reportedly said at the event, “We’re pretty tied up with planning a wedding but we want to make as much of a difference as we can.”
The foursome were previously seen together attending a Christmas church service at Queen Elizabeth II’s Sandringham estate.
