Meghan Markleis taking center stage.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, gave the keynote speech at the One Young World Summit in Manchester on Monday. The address marked the first speech she made in England since she andPrince Harrystepped back from their senior royal roles in March 2020.
“It’s very nice to be back in the U.K., and it’s very nice to be back with all of you at One World,” Meghan began. Calling back to her history with the organization, for which she has served as a counselor since 2014, the duchess said she was “probably a lot like each of you” when she first got involved – “young, ambitious, advocating for the things I deeply and profoundly believed in.”
“Have any of you today so far had that feeling that pinch-me moment where you just go, ‘How am I here?’ " she asked the crowd gathered in The Bridgewater Hall. “It’s a lot, and at that dinner, there were about 20 to 30 of us counselors, and there I was, the girl fromSuits,” she said with a laugh, which the audience echoed.
Chris Jackson/Getty
Revealing that she felt “overwhelmed” then to sit beside world leaders, humanitarians and activists that she long admired, theArchetypeshost admitted that she even saved her place card from the 2014 summit in Dublin as “proof” that she belonged.
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Reflecting on feelings of self-doubt then and assuring the young people in the crowd they also belonged, Meghan fondly recalled attending One Young World’s flagship event in Ottawa in 2016, and London in 2019.
“By that point, it’s fair to say my life had changed rather significantly. I was now married, and I was now a mom,” she said, as the audience applauded.
Meghan Markle.Chris Jackson/Getty
“My worldview had expanded exponentially seeing the global community through the eyes of my child and I would ask ‘What is this world he would come to adopt?’ and ‘What can we do what can I do to make it better?’ “The Benchauthor added. Meghan andPrince Harrywelcomed sonArchie, 3, in 2019, and daughterLilibet, 1, last year.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.Chris Jackson/Getty
Since launching in 2009, the One Young World community has grown to a network of over 13,700 ambassadors, and their projects have impacted 35.8 million people worldwide, according to the organization.
One Young World’s flagship event unites activists, humanitarians, world leaders, business executives, entrepreneurs, politicians and innovators to come together to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity.
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Reacting to the remarks, Somalian-American model and activistHalima Adentells PEOPLE that she truly connected with Meghan’s message.
“I loved her speech. It was the best kick off and it motivated everybody on stage,” Aden, who snapped a selfie with the duchess after the address, says. “As a young Black woman myself I look up to her so much. This is my third year [attending] too.”
“She brought the spirit tonight. The excitement for her was so obvious,” added Adem. The 24-year-old model moved to the U.S. at age 7 from Kakuma in Kenya, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, and broke fashion barriers when she was the first model to wear a hijab and burkini for theSports IllustratedSwimsuit Issue in 2019.
Human rights activist and One Young World ambassador Jamira Burley also tells PEOPLE that Meghan’s remarks resonated.
“I was super inspired. It is super exciting to have her here and to be a part of this,” the 33-year-old changemaker says.
“The highlight for me was when she talked about her transition from being an actor to continuing this work as a duchess,” Burley explains. “I think it shows the trajectory of how the investment from world leaders has to start over a period of time, because we’re not going to see the impact overnight. Young people are doing the work, but we have [to have] the support of world leaders who see what young people have the ability to do.”
The appearance kicks off abusy weekfor Meghan and Harry, who traveled to Europe for their first joint working visit in two years.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex “are delighted to visit with several charities close to their hearts in early September,” a spokesperson for the couple said after announcing the trip in August.
source: people.com
