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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are taking another bite out of the Big Apple!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who relocated from the U.K. to Meghan’s home state of California in 2020, are planning another trip to New York City. According to reports, a spokesperson for the United Nations confirmed that the couple will be in New York for the U.N. General Assembly to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day on July 18. Prince Harry, 37, is expected to give an address.

Meghan, 40, 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.

“U.N. Women, as you guys know, has defined the year 2030 as the expiration date for gender inequality,” she said. “And here’s what’s staggering — the studies show that at the current rate, the elimination of gender inequality won’t be possible until 2095. That’s another eighty years from now. And when it comes to women’s political participation and leadership the percentage of female parliamentarians globally has only increased by 11% since 1995. Eleven percent in 20 years? Come on. This has to change. Women make up more than half of the world’s population and potential, so it is neither just nor practical for their voices, for our voices, to go unheard at the highest levels of decision-making.”

Members of the royal family, including Harry’s grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as well as both of his parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana, met with Mandela on many occasions before his death in 2013.

During the couple’s tour to Africa in 2019, they met with Graca Machel, Mandela’s widow. Prince Harry and Meghan also visited the Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition in London back in July 2018.

Meghan and Prince Harry visited New York City in September 2021, starting with a visit to One World Observatory at 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 her children’s book The Bench to second grade students at P.S. 123 Mahalia Jackson School in Harlem.

The duo then appeared on stage at Global Citizen Live in Central Park, where they spoke up about the world’s need for COVID-19 vaccine equity.

“Every single person on this planet has a fundamental right to get this vaccine. That’s the point, but that’s not happening,” Meghan said.

Meghan and Harry returned to New York in November, marking Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the U.K. at the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala at 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 — for Queen 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: https://people.com

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex invited close friends and family to gather for a “casual, intimate backyard picnic” on Saturday at their Frogmore Cottage home, a spokesperson for the couple shared on Monday.

In the sweet photo, Lili smiles as she plays in the yard of her family’s home. She wears a blue dress and a white lace bow in her red hair — which she inherited from dad Harry!

Close family friend and guest Misan Harriman who attended Lilibet’s party with his wife and children took the “candid, spontaneous photograph that the Duke and Duchess are pleased to share today,” the spokesperson added.

Baker Claire Ptak from East London’s Violet Bakery was tasked with creating a special cake for Lilibet. Ptak also created Meghan and Harry’s wedding cake in 2018.

Harry and Meghan “remain incredibly touched by the countless birthday wishes for their daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor,” the couple’s spokesperson said.They were “amazed to learn that people around the world made donations” amounting to over $100K to the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in her honor,” the spokesperson continued, adding that the couple “extended their gratitude to all who have shown support for the organization, which is especially near to their hearts.” WCK is first on the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crisis. They build resilient food systems with locally-led solutions. Most recently, they provided support in Uvalde, TX and Ukraine.

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Official portraits lilibet’ 1st birthday – june 4 2022

The couple, who will travel from their California home to the U.K. with their two children for the weekend of festivities marking the monarch’s 70 years on the throne, is expected to attend the service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, June 3, according to The Telegraph.

Many members of the royal family are expected to attend the event, including Prince Andrew, the Queen’s son who is no longer a working royal following his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Some of the Queen’s older great-grandchildren, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte, may also attend the Friday ceremony, although Meghan and Harry’s two children — Archie Harrison, 3, and Lilibet Diana, who will turn 1 on June 4 — are believed to be too young for the outing.

News that Meghan, 40, and Prince Harry, 37, would travel to the U.K. for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations came shortly after Queen Elizabeth, 96, announced that only working members of the royal family will appear for the traditional Buckingham Palace balcony appearance as part of Trooping the Colour, the monarch’s annual public birthday celebration.

“After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

This change in tradition does not include Meghan and Harry, who stepped back as senior members of the royal family in 2020, and Prince Andrew following his recent lawsuits. However, it’s possible that Meghan and Prince Harry will appear at Trooping the Colour in another capacity, such as taking part in a carriage ride as part of the parade.

It’s likely that Meghan and Prince Harry will attend other events throughout the weekend as well.

On Saturday, June 4, members of the royal family will attend the Derby at Epsom, followed by the Platinum Party at the Palace in the evening, with performances by Queen + Adam Lambert, Diana Ross and more.

The four-day celebration will wrap with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on Sunday, June 5, featuring a parade down The Mall to the Palace in London.

Source: https://people.com/

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are heading to the U.K. next month — with son Archie Harrison and daughter Lilibet Diana!

“Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited and honored to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations this June with their children,” according to a spokesperson for the couple.

The trip will be the first time Lili, who was born in California last year, will visit her dad’s homeland. She’ll likely even celebrate her first birthday on June 4 during the trip.

The news comes shortly after Queen Elizabeth announced that only working members of the royal family will appear for the traditional Buckingham Palace balcony appearance as part of Trooping the Colour, the monarch’s annual public birthday celebration.

Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, will not be part of the appearance. Harry’s uncle Prince Andrew, who is no longer a working royal following his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will also not be included on the balcony.

“After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman says.

The family members who will appear on the palace balcony during Trooping the Colour will be the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex. The Queen’s cousins, the Duke of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra will also be in attendance.

William and Kate’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are expected to be there along with Edward and Sophie’s kids, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn. Princess Anne’s husband Sir Tim Laurence may also appear as he’s a frequent supporter of his wife during her public duties.

The birthday parade, which will take place on June 2, kicks off a long weekend of commemorations for the Queen’s 70 years on the throne. The long weekend ends with a special parade through central London on Sunday, June 5.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex may appear at another event, such as the Service of Thanksgiving on June 3. Traditionally, members of the extended family have attended the Thanksgiving Service at the Jubilees — most recently of 10 and 20 years ago.

Harry and his wife Meghan stopped in the U.K. for a visit with the monarch at Windsor Castle in April as the couple made their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games.

“It was great, it was really nice to see her. To see her in an element of privacy was nice,” Harry said.

Source: https://people.com/

The honor, recognizing notable achievement and valued public service, will be handed out at the ceremony airing live on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. on BET. Previous honorees include Muhammad Ali, Colin Powell, Soledad O’Brien, Condoleezza Rice, LeBron James, Rihanna and Jay-Z.

“We’re thrilled to present this award to Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world,” said NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson in a statement. “Not only do they continue to lead by example, The Duke and Duchess have also decided to inspire the next generation of activists through the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, ensuring the support and recognition of generations of civil rights leaders to come.”

The NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award is a newly established annual award that is supported by the couple’s global nonprofit, Archewell Foundation, and administered by the NAACP. The award will honor individuals who are not only leaders of transformational change in progressing civil and human rights, but who also seek advancements in the digital rights space and work to expand equity.

This year’s recipient is author and scholar Safiya Noble, Ph.D., an internet studies scholar and professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at UCLA. Additionally, she is co-founder and faculty director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2), which works with the Archewell Foundation.

“It’s a true honor to be recognized by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago,” said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a statement. “We’re proud to support the NAACP’s work and to also partner with the organization on the newly created annual NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which will be bestowed to Dr. Safiya Noble as part of the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.”

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com

Meghan spoke about how Harry and their son Archie inspired the book in the video. “I wrote this as a poem for my husband and our son, Archie, and then turned it into a book so you can enjoy it too,” she said.

Before she began reading, she also touched on why the illustrations in the book—by Christian Robinson—are so special. “I asked him to do something special for me and use watercolors, which isn’t the usual medium he works in, but he did it to make this extra special,” she said. “I hope you love the pictures as much as you love the words.”

Watch her read the story below:

Meghan released The Bench on June 8. She spoke on NPR about how she purposely made sure every family was represented in the illustrations. “Growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented,” Meghan said. “Any child or any family hopefully can open this book and see themselves in it, whether that means glasses or freckled or a different body shape or a different ethnicity or religion.”

Archie loves The Bench, Meghan added: “[He] has a voracious appetite for books. Archie loves the book! Now the fact that he loves The Bench, and I can say, ‘Mommy wrote this for you’ feels amazing.”

Source: https://www.elle.com/

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are getting into the investment business. They are joining Ethic, a fintech asset manager in the fast-growing environmental, social and governance space, as “impact partners” and investors. Ethic has $1.3 billion under management and creates separately managed accounts to invest in social responsibility themes.

The couple could attract more attention to sustainable investing. Harry and Meghan can make E.S.G. investing part of pop culture in a way that, say, BlackRock’s Larry Fink can’t. “From the world I come from, you don’t talk about investing, right?” Meghan told DealBook in a joint interview with Harry. “You don’t have the luxury to invest. That sounds so fancy.”

“My husband has been saying for years, ‘Gosh, don’t you wish there was a place where if your values were aligned like this, you could put your money to that same sort of thing?’” Meghan said. They were introduced to Ethic by friends, she said.

Harry and Meghan said they hoped that their involvement would help democratize investing, making people — especially younger people — more deliberate in their choices and conscious of investing in sustainable companies. “You already have the younger generation voting with their dollars and their pounds, you know, all over the world when it comes to brands they select and choose from,” Harry said, suggesting it was a natural extension to do the same with investments.

The move is the couple’s latest corporate partnership since relocating to the U.S. Harry and Meghan moved to Los Angeles last year and later gave up official royal family duties. Seeking financial independence, they have signed production deals with Netflix and Spotify. Harry also recently produced a documentary series about mental health for Apple TV+ in connection with Oprah Winfrey and is writing a memoir.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/