In the lead up to her wedding to Prince Harry next month, Meghan Markle has been taking on more and more royal responsibilities alongside her future husband. Now, the couple has announced their latest joint role, as Commonweath Youth Ambassadors.
The Queen appointed the pair to the new position yesterday after Prince Harry helped open the Commonwealth Youth Forum in London. The event coincides with the week-long Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which sees representatives from 53 nations meeting in London to discuss matters of interest.
Harry gave a speech at the event, saying: ‘As I travel around the Commonwealth in my work on behalf of the Royal Family, it is striking so see how different this generation of young adults are. You are connected, you have made positive use of technology to build relationships within your communities, nations and across the globe. You care, you want your nations to be cleaner, your planet to be greener, your friends and neighbours to be treated fairly and with respect, no matter their ethnicity, their religion, or their status.’
He went on to confirm that Meghan will be joining him in the new role, adding: ‘I am also incredibly grateful that the woman I am about to marry, Meghan, will be joining me in this work, of which she too is hugely excited to take part in.’
Meghan has previously expressed an interest in learning more about the Commonwealth, so it’s a particularly exciting prospect for her. While she was absent from yesterday’s event, she is thought to be attending tomorrow’s Commonwealth Youth Forum reception as part of her new role.
In recent months, there has been speculation that Prince Charles might not be elected as head of the Commonwealth after the Queen’s death, although no other likely successor has been named. The Queen herself was given the role after he father died, but the position is not hereditary. The Commonwealth leaders are expected to choose their next head at some point this week.