- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, spoke at the One Young World Summit in Manchester.
- It was her first speech in the U.K. since her and Prince Harry’s royal engagements ended.
- Meghan Markle spoke at One Young World’s annual Youth Empowerment Summit.
The One Young World Summit in Manchester on Monday featured a keynote address by the 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex. The speech was the first she has given in England following her and Prince Harry’s retirement from their prominent royal positions 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 from Suits,” she said with a laugh, which the audience echoed.
The Archetypes host admitted that she even retained her place card from the 2014 summit in Dublin as “evidence” that she belonged, saying that she felt “overwhelmed” to sit next to world leaders, humanitarians, and campaigners that she had long admired.
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Meghan warmly recalled attending One Young World’s flagship event in Ottawa in 2016 and London in 2019. She reflected on her self-doubt at the time and reassured the young people in the crowd that they also belonged.
“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.
“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?”
“I am thrilled that my husband is able to join me here this time, to be able to see and witness firsthand my respect for this incredible organization and all that it provides, as well as accomplishes,” Meghan said with a smile. “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.”
Meghan concluded by expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to speak to and alongside the community today.
“We often hear people say ‘The time is now,’ but I’m going to double down on that, by saying your time is now,” she urged. “The important work can’t wait for tomorrow.”
