Meghan Markle gave her first public speech in the United Kingdom since abandoning her royal status and moving to the Hollywood Hills over two years ago.
The Duchess of Sussex delivered the keynote address at the One Young World summit on Monday, an annual gathering of young activists “to come together to confront the most pressing challenges confronting humanity.”
Hubby At the event’s opening ceremony, Prince Harry stood by as Markle spoke about gender equality. She addressed her self-doubt as “the girl from ‘Suits'” at the same summit in 2014, two years before tabloids exploded with stories about her and Harry’s relationship.
From 2011 to 2018, Markle starred in seven seasons of the American legal drama “Suits.”
“I was allowed in and took a seat at the table,” Meghan said at the massive Manchester event. “I was so taken aback by this experience that I believe I saved my little paper place-marker with my name on it.”
“Just proof — proof that I was there, proof that I belonged, because the truth was, I wasn’t sure,” she explained.
Markle and Harry took the train from London to the event. The couple is reportedly staying in Windsor, just half a mile from Prince William and his family, though the royals have made no plans to contact the exiled couple.
According to Harry’s biographer Angela Levin, William is concerned that private conversations between him and his brother will be leaked to the media, as they have in previous bombshell interviews.
Since stepping down as senior royals in 2020, Markle and Harry have made few trips to the United Kingdom. They attended Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June but left before the festivities concluded. They also appeared briefly at a Thanksgiving service.
Their next stop is Germany, where they will participate in a countdown to the Invictus Games 2023 on Tuesday. On Thursday, Harry is scheduled to give a speech at a charity event in London.
