The Queen teamed up with Meghan Markle for their second joint engagement in less than two weeks, as they join Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace tonight.
The newlyweds accompanied the monarch for a star-studded reception, attended by A-listers including David Beckham and Sir Lenny Henry, to present awards to winners of the Queen’s Young Leaders for 2018.
The newly-minted Duchess of Sussex, 36, earned comparisons to her sister-in-law Kate with a curly new ‘do, wearing a powder pink dress featuring oversized buttons and teamed with a pair of sensible black courts.
Guests at tonight’s event, held in the palace’s opulent ballroom, included model Neelam Gill, boxer Nicola Adams, YouTuber Caspar Lee, presenters Ore Oduba and Tina Daheley, and chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, former PM Sir John Major.
The Young Leaders programme, now in its fourth and final year, celebrates the achievements of young change-makers from across the Commonwealth.
New look? The newly-minted Duchess of Sussex, 36, earned comparisons to her sister-in-law Kate with a curly new ‘do
Meghan, 36, drew comparisons to Kate in her powder pink dress which featured oversized buttons and a thin belt
Think pink! Meghan wore a powder pink dress featuring oversized buttons and teamed with a pair of sensible black courts
It’s Beckingham Palace! The Queen looks delighted as she shakes hands with David Beckham in the palace ballroom tonight
This year’s cohort, from across 38 countries, have been lauded for working to improve the lives of people across a diverse range of issues from supporting people living with mental health problems to access to education, promoting gender equality, food scarcity and climate change.
Tonight’s reception is the Queen and Meghan’s second joint engagement in as many weeks, after the pair travelled to Cheshire together earlier this month.
The close bond between the monarch and her granddaughter-in-law became apparent when the pair sat down at a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in Chester on June 14.
Body language expert Judi James, an industry leader in communication, told how the Queen appeared ‘completely confident’ in Meghan’s ability.
She said: ‘The Queen is quite stoic, she didn’t make a fuss of Meghan, which can make someone feel anxious. She is clearly completely confident about Meghan’s level of confidence.’
The Queen’s Young Leaders programme was launched in 2014 in honour of the monarch’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth – a global network of 53 countries and 2.4 billion people, of whom 60 per cent are under 30 years old.
Harry was appointed as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador in April, on the eve of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, and new the role will see him support the work and aspirations of young people across the 53 member states.
The pair were seen arriving at Buckingham Palace earlier tonight ahead of the Queen’s Young Leaders reception
The Queen welcomes guests including (L-R) Sir John Major, Sir Lenny Henry, David Beckham and Nicola Adams
Famous faces: Boxer Nicola Adams (left) and football star David Beckham (right) joined the Queen at Buckingham Palace
Footballer David Beckham and a smartly-clad Nicola Adams share a joke as they wait for Prince Harry to give a speech
Both he and Meghan will work both in the UK and abroad to highlight the value of the Commonwealth, and are understood to be planning a number of foreign tours to member states.
The Commonwealth will take on an increasingly important role as regards trade and diplomacy when Britain exits the EU.
In the week leading up to tonight’s reception, winners travelled to the UK to participate in a programme of training, mentoring and networking opportunities.
This included workshops at the University of Cambridge and visits to No 10, the UK headquarters of Facebook and the BBC World Service.
Tonight’s award presentation is being broadcast on Facebook Live, bringing the winners’ families from around the Commonwealth inside the ballroom at Buckingham Palace.
Guests at tonight’s event, held in the palace’s opulent ballroom, included (LR) chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, former PM Sir John Major, Sir Lenny Henry and David Beckham
The Young Leaders award is part of the Queen’s Young Leaders programme, an initiative established by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge.
Launched in 2014 by William and Harry, the first round of Young Leaders visited the UK in 2015.
Every year from 2014 to 2018, 60 young people were selected to receive a Queen’s Young Leaders Award and become ‘Young Leaders’ – one for every year that the Queen had served as Head of the Commonwealth at the time of her Diamond Jubilee.
Guided by the values of the Commonwealth Charter, the goal of the programme is to enable young people to step up as leaders and improve the lives of people across the Commonwealth.
Over the next 18 months, the Queen’s Young Leaders Programme will continue to champion the initiatives being undertaken by award winners and Highly Commended Runners-Up, support their networks and share their stories.
A £200,000 legacy fund, open to all 240 Queen’s Young Leaders and 282 highly commended runners-up, to apply for grants to help elevate their work and enable them to work together to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the Commonwealth will also open in September 2018.