Girl power! Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at a school in London ahead of International Women’s Day as one of her last solo engagements before she and Prince Harry step back from their official royal duties.
The Suits alum, 38, surprised students at the Robert Clack Upper School in Dagenham, East London, on Friday, March 6, which marked the 50th anniversary of Britain’s Equal Pay Act. Meghan was joined on stage by Geraldine Dear, a female worker at the Ford motor plant in Dagenham who went on strike for equal pay in 1968. The story coincides with the 2020 International Women’s Day campaign theme “EachforEqual.”
Meghan recognized the bravery of women in a heartfelt speech she delivered in front of the crowd of students.
“As you can see with Geraldine and the other women who had the strength to really stand up for something that they knew needed to be done — is the best example of no matter how small you might feel, how low you may feel on the ladder or the totem pole, no matter what color you are, no matter what gender you are — you have a voice, and you certainly have the right to speak up for what is right,” Meghan said.
The California native and Harry, 35, have been making their final round of engagements ahead of their official exit from the royal family on March 31. The couple arrived at the Mountbatten Festival of Music in London in matching red outfits on Saturday, March 7.
Two days earlier, Harry and Meghan attended the Endeavor Fund Awards together — their first joint appearance in the U.K. since they announced their plans to step down from their senior royal duties in January.
Meghan returned to the U.K. on Thursday, March 5, for the first time since she and her husband relocated to Vancouver, Canada, with their 10-month-old son, Archie. Later that day, Meghan secretly visited the National Theatre, where she is a royal patron.
Harry, meanwhile, made his own solo engagement at the official opening of the Silverstone Experience museum in Northamptonshire, England.
The couple are expected to reunite with other royal family members Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate at the Commonwealth Service at London’s Westminster Abbey on Monday, March 9. It is expected to be Harry and Meghan’s final official royal engagement.
Although Harry and Meghan have been busy in the U.K., a source told Us Weekly in February that the pair are enjoying their new lives in Canada.
“Harry and Meghan escaped the chaos back home and are genuinely happy,” the insider said at the time. “They’re really enjoying Canada; it’s a completely different world from what they’re used to in London.”
Scroll down to see pictures of Meghan’s surprise appearance at the Robert Clack Upper School.