The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were all smiles as they attended their first-ever official joint engagement together on Wednesday.
Taking the stage at the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum in London, the couples spoke candidly under the theme ‘Making A Difference Together’ as they discussed the issues that are close to their hearts, and their ambitions for the future.
Kate and Meghan, who appeared already very comfortable in each other’s company, both wore shades of blue for the occasion with Meghan dressed in an of-the-moment navy wrap dress by Jason Wu. The Duchess, meanwhile, showed off her growing baby bump in an empire-waisted dress by Seraphine.
Kate and Meghan, both 36, already appeared to share a very close bond.
And it looks as if they make each other laugh!
The talk was chaired by BBC presenter Tina Daheley, who asked whether they had expected such a great result from their charitable efforts — particularly the Heads Together campaign, which was launched in 2016.
William quickly said “No, as an answer” before Harry quipped: “It was organised on the back of a fag packet. It really was.”
And despite the host sneakily asking “whose fags,” the young royals didn’t oblige.
But their revealing chat didn’t end there…
The royal foursome spoke candidly about the pros and cons of working with family — much to the amusement of the audience!
Prince William dispelled the myth that it’s happy families all the time with a few light-hearted jokes.
Their appearance was the first time we’ve seen the couples come together in an official capacity.
The foursome soon opened up about their shared bond and what it’s like to work alongside family, with Harry admitting disagreements come in “so thick and fast” they can barely keep track.
“We have different opinions and they work really well [together],” Harry said, adding, “Working as family does have its challenges; of course it does” — prompting laughs from the audience.
“[I think] the fact that everybody is laughing shows they know exactly what’s it like,” he continued. “But we are stuck together for the rest of our lives.”
To which Meghan then replied, “Togetherness at its finest.”
The former actress, who will become a member of the Royal Family when she marries everybody’s favourite ginger-haired royal on May 19th, said she can’t wait to “hit the ground running” in her official duties and has already spent a great amount of time meeting with charities behind-the-scenes.
“For me it is very important to want to hit the ground running even if you are doing it quietly behind the scenes, which is what I have focused my energy on thus far — meeting with the right people and the right organisations … learning as much as I can so that I can maximise the opportunity we have here to really make an impact.”
The duchess-to-be chose to remain coy on what her big plans are only saying she was excited to be collaborating with her new family on projects she will announce in a few months time. She did, however, talk briefly about the Time’s Up or Me Too movements, which have sparked controversy and much-needed public debate in recent months.
“Right now, in the climate that we’re seeing with so many campaigns – Me Too and Time’s Up – there is no better time to really shine a light on women feeling empowered and people really helping to support them – men included in that. It makes such a tremendous difference.”
WATCH: Meghan says she’s keen to “hit the ground running” with her charity work. Post continues…
Her comments technically break royal protocol — after all, royal family members must avoid making statements that could be construed as political. Of course, Kate recently faced pressure to wear black to the Baftas in support of Time’s Up, but chose instead to tread a tactful line in dark green with a black ribbon.
With this in mind, it will be interesting to see whether the passionate humanitarian will adjust her forthrightness when she marries Prince Harry or if she’ll continue to blaze a new trail for the British royal family.
Meghan, a former actress and passionate humanitarian, made her voice heard at the event.
Meghan soon admitted, though, that wedding planning is taking precedence over charity work at the moment.
“So yeah, I guess we wait a couple of months and then we hit the ground running,” she continued, looking toward her husband-to-be with a big smile.
Harry added: “We’re pretty tied up planning a wedding at the moment but we’re looking forward to the work we can do as a pair and as the four of us.”
Harry and Meghan will tie the knot at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19.
We can barely wait!
