Meghan Markle Makes First Solo Royal Appearance at Art Exhibit Opening

Duchess of Sussex attended her first official engagement without Prince Harry or his family members on Tuesday

By Jess Cohen Sep 25, 2018 6:09 PMTags

Meghan Markle left Prince Harry at home to attend her first solo royal engagement on Tuesday.

The Duchess of Sussex, donning a black Givenchy dress, arrived at the Royal Academy of Arts in London on Tuesday evening for the opening of the new Oceania art exhibit. This is the first time Meghan has stepped out for an official engagement without other members of the royal family.

Meghan's first solo engagement comes four months after she tied the knot with Harry at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, wearing a Givenchy design. For Tuesday's milestone event, Meghan paired her Givenchy dress with Aquazzura heels and a Givenchy clutch.

read
Meghan Markle Plays Ball in Heels Alongside Prince Harry at Coach Core Awards
Yui Mok/PA Wire

Following Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding in April 2011, the Duchess of Cambridge made her first solo appearance six months later at a formal dinner event for the charity In Kind Direct.

Next month, Meghan and Harry will go on a royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. During her visit at the Oceania exhibit, which marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy, Meghan will reportedly be shown art from the four countries she'll soon visit.

It was just yesterday that Meghan stepped out with Harry to attend Coach Core Awards at Loughborough University. Ahead of the award ceremony, Meghan and Harry teamed up with the Coach Core graduates for a game of netball.

read
Meghan Markle Hosts First Palace Event With Her Mom and Prince Harry by Her Side

Last week, Meghan hosted her first event at Kensington Palace with Harry and her mom Doria Ragland by her side. The event honored the launch of the cookbook Together, which features recipes from the Hubb Community Kitchen in West London. Meghan also delivered a speech in front of attendees about the cookbook and what it means to her.

"Working on this project for the past nine months has been a tremendous labor of love," she said. "I had just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by the women in the kitchen, your warmth, your kindness and also to be able to be in the city and to see in this one small room how multicultural it was. On a personal level, I feel so proud to live in a city that can have so much diversity. It's 12 countries represented in this one group of women—it's pretty outstanding."