Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walked hand-in-hand when they arrived at the UN General Assembly on Monday (July 18). Harry, 37, was scheduled as the keynote speaker as part of Nelson Mandela day. The British royal looked dapper in his suit and thin tie, and Meghan, 40, looked professional in her form-fitting black dress. The two strode into the UN building while holding hands before heading to the general assembly for Harry’s speech.
South Africa’s UN Mission said that Harry’s speech would “be around the memories and legacy of Mandela and what has been learned from his struggle and his life that can help up face the new challenges in the world today,” per The Guardian. July 18 marks Nelson Mandela’s birthday, and the UN General Assembly established this day as a time to “honor him not only by celebrating his life and contributions but by carrying out the tradition of participating in a community service activity,” per The Guardian. Other participants include the assembly president, Abdulla Shahid; the UN deputy secretary-general; New York’s mayor, Eric Adams; and Guinea’s foreign minister, Morissanda Kouaté.
Harry and Meghan first visited South Africa, Mandela’s homeland, in 2019. In 2018, they met with Mandela’s granddaughter Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela, when celebrating his 100th birthday at a new exhibit at London’s Southbank Centre, per Us Weekly. Insider the exhibit, the couple learned about the former South African president – who died at age 95 in December 2013 – and his efforts against the country’s apartheid system.
The couple’s visit to the UN comes on the heels of a British royals expert suggesting that Prince William and Kate Middleton may not make time to meet up with Harry and Meghan when they visit the United States to host the 2022 Earshot Prize awards. The finalists will be announced in the fall, with the ceremony to be held soon after that. Kate, 40, and William, 40, are “planning a packed schedule with no private time for visits,” according to royal expert Neil Sean, who hypothesized that William isn’t making time in his schedule for Harry because he’s having a hard time moving on past “all those allegations that Harry put out about him and his family.”