Britain's Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle received a resounding standing ovation during one of their final official engagements as frontline royals this week before they step back at the end of this month. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were the guests of honour at the Mountbatten Festival of Music at Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday when the couple received a particularly long round of applause from the audience as they took their seats in the royal box.
Prince Harry, 35, appeared in a Royal Marines officer's red mess jacket, matched by his 38-year-old wife's designer red dress. The music festival brings together world-class musicians, composers and conductors of the Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines and Saturday's performance marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 80th anniversary of the formation of Britain's Commandos. Proceeds from the event go to the Royal Marines Association – the Royal Marines Charity and CLIC Sargent, which supports people with cancer aged under 25 and their families.
Earlier, Markle made one of her last official solo visits to a school in Dagenham, east London, on Friday where her message to the 700 young boys and girls was to "speak up for what is right". According to reports, she used her visit to the Robert Clack School to highlight her favourite themes of women's empowerment, social justice and gender equality.
According to 'The Sunday Times', the school assembly had been told it would be addressed by a "mystery guest". There were cheers when Meghan appeared and called for "the women of our future" to "believe in themselves" and "really stand in your truth, to stand for what is right, to continue to respect each other".
The couple will next join Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family for the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday to mark Commonwealth Day. It would be the first time the entire royal family is seen together in public since Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down from royal duties.
They will formally stop representing the Queen from April 1 as they plan to spend a majority of their time in North America. Under the arrangement finalised with Buckingham Palace, their exit plan will be reviewed at the end of a 12-month transition period with the option for the couple to return to the frontline if they change their mind. But meanwhile they have declared plans to start a new financially independent life with their nine-month-old son Archie and focus on charitable projects close their hearts.
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