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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may officially be stepping back as working royals in just a few weeks but it certainly hasn’t meant they’ve been slowing down just yet.
Harry and Meghan are back in the UK from their new home base on Vancouver Island in Canada to complete their final engagements as senior members of the Royal Family.
Following an action-packed weekend of engagements, the royal couple made a surprise appearance with the Queen on Sunday morning, spotted attending a church service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, close to their UK home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
The couple looked relaxed and happy as they joined the monarch for the service, just a week after Prince Harry visited his grandmother solo, where according to The Sun, she told him that following his departure from royal life he would “always be welcomed back” if he decided to return.
The Queen’s invitation to join her shows they are still very much a part of the family and echoes what her statement following Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back where she wrote: “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved members of my family.”
Adding, “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.”
The Queen is making it clear that Harry and Meghan are still very much a part of the family. (Image: Getty)
The couple’s visit came the day after they made a glamorous appearance at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at the Royal Albert Hall both looking incredible in red. Prince Harry sported his Captain General of the Royal Marines uniform, while Duchess Meghan stunned in a floor-length gown by Safiyaa with a matching clutch and red pumps.
The charity event sees veterans, serving members and world-class musicians, composers and conductors of the Massed Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines help raise funds on behalf of the Royal Marines Charity. This year also marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 80th anniversary of the formation of Britain’s Commandos.
Meghan and Harry looked incredible in their matching red attire. (Image: Getty)
The royal couple has also been making a number of solo appearances. On Friday, Prince Harry joined six-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton at the opening of the Silverstone Experience.
The brand-new immersive museum tells the story of the past, present and future of British motor racing and Harry toured the various components, met with volunteers and chatted with the next generation of engineers and racing drivers.
Meanwhile, Duchess Meghan, as royal patron of the National Theatre, made a private visit to the Immersive Storytelling Studio in London, where emerging technology like virtual reality is being used to develop new forms of emotive storytelling.
The royal mum-of-one also paid a visit to Robert Clack School in Dagenham ahead of International Women’s Day. During her visit, the duchess heard from students about what IWD means to them and how we can all uplift one another.
Dagenham is a significant place for IWD this year, marking 50 years since women in Britain won the right to equal pay, thanks to a group of women who worked in a factory in the area, who led a strike in 1968, after facing a pay settlement that declared them less skilled than men. Two years later, the UK Parliament was forced to pass the Equal Pay Act, protecting and supporting working women ever since.
One of the strikers, Geraldine Dear, was also at the school on Friday and in a speech to the Upper School, Meghan said: “Being in Dagenham is incredibly profound. Because as you can see with Geraldine and the other women who had the strength to really stand up for something that they knew needed to be done.
“This is the best example of no matter how 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.”
Meghan spoke to high schoolers at Robert Clack School about what International Women’s Day means to them. (Image: Getty)
The couple’s engagements follow their glamorous first joint appearance on Thursday evening since announcing their shock decision when they attended the annual Endeavour Fund Awards.
The series of appearances comes ahead of their first public appearance with other members of the royal family on Monday, London time, for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
The couple will join the Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla in what is said to be the couple’s final engagement as working royals.
Meghan and Harry made their first public appearance on Thursday since their bombshell announcement in January. (Image: Getty)
Harry and Meghan will officially step back from their duties on March 31, splitting their time between the UK and North America and working to become financially independent.
They are also currently working on a non-profit organisation which is set to launch in the Northern Hemisphere’s spring when they will also be announcing a new name for their current ‘Sussex Royal’ label after complications arose with the use of the word ‘royal’ after they step back.
