Meghan Markle makes first public outing since 'tell-all' documentary

22 October 2019, 21:29

Meghan Markle attending One Young World Summit Opening Ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. Picture: PA

By Maddie Goodfellow

The Dutchess of Sussex has been seen out for the first time since she and her husband Prince Harry revealed the difficulties they have faced over the past year.

Meghan Markle appeared in good spirits while attending the opening ceremony of the One Young World Summit at the Royal Albert Hall.

The ceremony comes just days after she appeared in the ITV documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey", where she described her past year as a member of the royal family as "hard".

Meghan said she tried to cope with the pressures of her new life since marrying the Duke of Sussex by putting on a "stiff upper lip".

But she said she was not prepared for the "intensity of the tabloid interest".

Meghan is attending the four-day-event which is described as "a global forum for young leaders" and brings together 2,000 young people from more than 190 countries worldwide.

It is The Duchess of Sussex' first public outing since her tell-all documentary. Picture: PA

Her appearance at the summit comes after a source close to the couple told CNN the reaction to Prince Harry's comments on the ITV documentary about being on a "different path" to his brother had been "hysterical".

The source said Harry and Meghan had "single-handedly modernised the monarchy" and added the couple were surrounded by people "afraid of and inexperienced" at how best to "deploy their value".

A royal source also said William was concerned about his brother and hoped Harry and Meghan were "all right" after the screening of the ITV programme in which they opened up about their struggles.

The source told the press there was a view from The Queen and other senior royals that the couple were "in a fragile place".

Meghan Markle was described as a "global champion for the rights of women and girls". Picture: PA

Former actress Meghan received the loudest cheer during the opening ceremony as she walked through the audience to join dozens of other One Young World counsellors on stage.

She was sat next to Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Muhammad Yunus for the event.

Celebrities including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and actor Warwick Davies were among the speakers during the summit opening.

Mr Khan said: "When it comes to tackling the defining challenges of our time, we achieve more together than we do alone.

"This is the main message I want to send to you this evening. Shamefully there are some politicians who wish to absolve themselves from their positions of responsibility."

Meghan joined the organisation as a counsellor at the 2014 summit in Dublin.