Meghan’s big day may be behind her, but there’ll be little rest for Prince Harry’s new wife – who is starting her official royal duties just days after the wedding.
The new Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make their first engagement as husband and wife on Tuesday at a garden party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate Prince Charles’ 70th birthday.
Unlike previous royal couples – including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – Harry and Meghan have put their honeymoon on hold in order to hit the ground running when it comes to their duties.
The garden party on Tuesday, hosted by the Queen, will see guests from over 400 charities that the Prince of Wales is patron of.
The engagement will be Meghan’s first appearance at one of Her Majesty’s annual garden parties at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry and Meghan have put their honeymoon on hold, as they prepare to make their first engagement as husband and wife on Tuesday
It is also anticipated that Meghan will join the Queen at the Chelsea Flower Show this month.
Meanwhile, the newlyweds will undertake a couple of short overseas visits before the start of the summer, including a two-day visit to Dublin.
Harry is yet to visit Ireland but Meghan spent time in the country as an ambassador for the One Young World summit in 2014.
Meghan is also expected to hit the ground running when it comes to her charity work, becoming the fourth patron of the Royal Foundation set up by William, Harry and Kate.
The couple are already confirmed to be attending the Invictus Games in Sydney in October
Harry and Meghan are already confirmed to be heading to Sydney in October for the Invictus Games.
The couple are expected to then continue their tour Down Under to include visits to New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, with plans being discussed at the highest level.
Aides are promising that the second half of this year will be ‘incredibly busy’ for Harry and Meghan when it comes to official visits.
But the couple plan to really showcase their work as a new royal ‘power couple’ later in the year, starting with a visit to Australia, where Harry’s inspirational Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women is being held in Sydney this October.
They are then expected to travel onto New Zealand, a country the prince fell in love with a number of years ago, followed by Fiji and Tonga.
Kensington Palace confirmed earlier this month that Harry and Meghan would be going on a honeymoon, but ‘not straight away’
Their visits to Australia and New Zealand will be particularly important as both are countries where Harry’s grandmother, the Queen, is still head of state.
And with his father, Prince Charles, having been recently nominated at the next head of the Commonwealth, it is hoped that Harry and Meghanwill boost the popularity of the royals there.
Both Fiji and Tonga, in the South Pacific, are also members of the Commonwealth and the prince has long wanted to visit them. He met with the Fijian Prime Minister during March’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
The five-metre long veil that Meghan wore on her wedding day hinted at how seriously she takes her new duties – as it featured 53 flowers of the Commonwealth.
The only major barrier to the October trip will be if the couple, who have made no secret of their desire to start a family, find themselves expecting.
Meghan will assist Harry with his new Commonwealth role – with her veil giving a nod to her duties by featuring all 53 flowers of the Commonwealth
Not only is long distance travel exceptionally gruelling in the early stages of pregnancy but Zika is an issue in the region and pregnant women are advised not to travel there.
Meghan, 36, and Harry, 33, are widely expected to start a family straight away, with friends saying the former actress ‘can’t wait’ to be a mother.
Her former agent Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne said that Meghan had told her in the past that she definitely wanted to have children.
Grant Harrold, who is known as the Royal Butler, told FEMAIL: ‘Like any newly married couple, the time to have children is a personal one, but I am sure the royal couple will be keen to have children in the not distant future, so they are a similar age to Prince Harry’s nephews and niece.’
The Mail also understands that in recent months Meghan has been schooled in royal etiquette and traditions by royal household and diplomatic staff.
Prince Harry’s new wife has also now become the fourth patron of The Royal Foundation, set up by Kate, William and Harry
This includes how to greet dignitaries – and expect to be greeted – once she becomes a member of the royal family, how to behave on royal engagements and the intricacies of palace life.
‘She is a very intelligent, elegant woman with enormous life experience, who has conducted herself impeccably. But there are a lot of pitfalls in public life, particularly as a member of the Royal Family, and she has been learning about what we call ‘the traditions.’
Meghan is expected to hit the ground running when it comes to her charity work – and is now the fourth patron of the Royal Foundation set up by Harry, William and Kate.
She, like Kate, is also expected to embrace her role as a fashion ambassador – with her American connection meaning that she could prove even more valuable to the British industry.
Meghan is also expected to embrace her role as an ambassador for British fashion
Experts predict the royal wedding alone will bring £150m to the British fashion industry, while the Duchess of Cambridge is estimated to bring an incredible £1billion to the industry a year – a figure that some are predicting Meghan will exceed.
Emma Usher from RunRagged, a leading celebrity consultancy, said: ‘From the Strathberry handbag to AllSaints, Meghan has already been a hugely positive influence on British retailers and as she joins the monarchy we expect this to only increase.
‘The royal household have a long tradition of championing British brands – looking back through history they were the original influencers – and it’s very likely that she will have been advised to select items from British fashion houses to support the UK.
‘People’s interest in Meghan will grow in years to come and this presents a great opportunity for British brands to benefit from the “Meghan effect”.’
Ms Usher, whose company profiles and books VIPs for red carpet events, endorsements and campaigns, added that Meghan’s link to the US could mean that she proves even more valuable than Kate as a British fashion ambassador.
‘Not only is she popular in the UK, she’s a “way in” for Americans to feel closer to the royal family, which means British brands seen on her will also be able to get a firmer foothold in the US market,’ she explained.
‘Whilst the US loves the royal family, they haven’t been as accessible until now. Meghan is seen as “one of them” – and she’ll have a greater appeal out there than Kate.
‘She has quite a responsibility and what she wears has the potential to transform some small British businesses into global powerhouses.’