Meghan MarkleandPrince Harryare in New York City for a special address to the United Nations.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who relocated from the U.K. to Meghan’s home state of California in 2020, headed to the U.N. on Monday, where Harry gave a special address in honor of Nelson Mandela Day. The couple held hands as they entered the building, Meghan wearing a black dress and herpinky ringpromoting women empowerment with her hair tied back in a ponytail.
After New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke,Prince Harryheaded to the microphone to address the assembly.
“Those of us not fortunate to know Mandela well have come to understand the man through his legacy, the letters he wrote alone in his prison cell, the speeches he delivered to his people and those incredible shirts that he sported,” Harry sad.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.Michael M. Santiago/Getty
“When I first looked at the photo, straight away what jumped out is the joy on my mother’s face. The playfulness — cheekiness, even,” Harry, 37, said. “The pure delight to be in communion with another soul so committed to serving humanity.”
He continued that Mandela was also “beaming” despite all the hardships he endured.
“[He was] still able to see the goodness in humanity, still buoyant with a beautiful spirit that lifted everyone around him,” Harry said. “Not because he was blind to the ugliness, the injustices of the world — no. He saw them clearly. He had lived them. But because he knew we could overcome them.”
Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana.Sasa Kralj/AP Images
He also spoke about his love of Africa since his first visit at age 13.
“For most of my life, it has been my lifeline, a place where I found peace and healing time and time again,” Harry said. “It’s where I felt closest to my mother and sought solace after she died, and where I knew I had found a soulmate in my wife.”
During the couple’s tour to Africa in 2019, they met with Graca Machel, Mandela’s widow.Prince Harryand Meghan also visited the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition in London back in July 2018.
Members of the royal family, including Harry’s grandparentsQueen ElizabethandPrince Philipas well as both of his parentsPrince Charlesand Princess Diana, met with Mandela on many occasions before his death in 2013.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty
Meghan previously appeared at the U.N. Women’s conference on International Women’s Day in 2015. Her mom Doria Ragland was on hand as she gave an inspiring speech on gender equality.
Prince Harry.KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty
Meghan andPrince Harryvisited New York Cityin September 2021, starting with avisit to One World Observatoryat the World Trade Center with former Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife Chirlane McCray, their son Dante de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul.
During the trip, they met with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Meghan read herchildren’s bookThe Benchto second grade students at P.S. 123 Mahalia Jackson School in Harlem.
The duo thenappeared on stageat Global Citizen Live in Central Park, where they spoke up about the world’s need for COVID-19 vaccine equity.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
Meghan and Harryreturned to New York in November, marking Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the U.K. at the2021 Salute to Freedom galaat the Intrepid Museum. After hitting the red carpet,Prince Harry, who served in the British army for 10 years, presented the inaugural Intrepid Valor Awards to five service members, veterans and military families living with the invisible wounds of war.
Last month, the couple returned to the U.K. with their two children — Archie Harrison, 3, and Lilibet Diana, 1 — forQueen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. During the trip, they celebrated Lili’s first birthday with a backyard party at their U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
source: people.com
