The 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex gave her first U.K. speech since stepping down as a senior royal.
Despite their ongoing feud with the royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry seem happy to be back in the United Kingdom. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Manchester, England, on Monday to attend the One Young World Summit.
Markle wore a bright red jumpsuit for the event, and began her speech to the cheering crowd by saying, "It is very nice to be back in the U.K., and it is very nice to be back with all of you at One World."
The speech, which officially opened the summit, was the 41-year-old duchess' first in the U.K. since she and Harry officially stepped down as senior members of the royal family.
Markle has been involved with One Young World since 2014, and acknowledged how her life has changed since that time.
"I am thrilled that my husband is able to join me here this time," she said, beaming at Harry. "One Young World has been an integral part of my life for so many years before I met him, so to meet again here on U.K. soil with him by my side makes it all feel full circle."
She admitted to feeling a bit out of place during her first One Young World event in 2014, saying, "There I was, I was the girl from Suits, and I was surrounded by world leaders, humanitarians, prime ministers, and activists that I had such a deep and long-standing respect and admiration for. And I was invited to pull up a seat at the table."
The mother of two also touched on how becoming a parent has changed her perspective.
"I joined you in London in 2019 and by that point, it's fair to say, my life had changed rather significantly," she reflected. "I was now married, and I was now a mom. My worldview had expanded exponentially, seeing the global community through the eyes of my child."
The visit and speech come after Markle spoke publicly about her experience with the royal family in the U.K. several times in recent interviews.
During her interview with The Cut, she said that she is "still healing" from her time with the royals, adding, "I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to."
She also spoke about how she was perceived during an interview with Mariah Carey on her new Archetypes podcast.
“If there’s any time in my life that it’s been more focused on my race, it’s only when I started dating my husband,” she told Carey.
A source previously told ET that the "royal family is disappointed by Markle’s latest comments in The Cut magazine and on her podcast. They are distressed that after stepping back from the royal family -- claiming a need for privacy -- she continues to publicize family matters in public."
The source added that there is a “loss of trust” with Markle.
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