Three days after their wedding, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have set out for their first official engagement as a royal couple, with the pair attending Prince Charles’ birthday party.
On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen leaving Kensington Palace to attend the Prince of Wales’ 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration at Buckingham Palace Gardens.
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While Harry wasn’t fully visible in the snap, Markle was seen wearing a blush confection with sheer detailing along with a matching hat. The Duchess’ hair was also slicked back into a chignon, a departure from her signature messy bun.
At the party, Harry gave a speech as Markle, Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles looked on. Both Markle and Parker Bowles were spring-appropriate in pastel colors, while Parker Bowles opted for a white hat and matching gloves.
The event honors Charles’ patronages, military affiliations and charities, and also paid tribute to first responders of the Manchester Arena bombing of May 2017.
The party comes days after Charles hosted the evening reception for Harry and Markle’s wedding at Frogmore House. He also played a role in the ceremony when he escorted Markle down the aisle.
Kensington Palace had previously announced that the Duke and Duchess would be delaying their honeymoon in order to attend various royal engagements in the week following their nuptials.
“The couple will be going on honeymoon, but not straightaway,” Kensington Palace spokesman Jason Knauf said, via PEOPLE. “They will have their first engagement as a married couple in the week after the wedding.”
Harry and Markle are reportedly planning to honeymoon in Africa, a continent that is close to both of their hearts. Last year, the couple spent three weeks there for Markle’s birthday, and Harry is passionate about conservation efforts on the continent.
The couple also spent time in Botswana early on in their relationship, spending several days camping together. In addition, one of the three diamonds on Markle’s engagement ring was sourced from Botswana.
“The ring is obviously yellow gold because that’s [Markle’s] favorite and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana and the little diamonds either side are from my mother’s jewelry collection, to make sure that she’s with us on this crazy journey together,” Harry said during the couple’s first joint interview with the BBC.
Markle added, “It’s incredibly special to be able to have this [ring], which sort of links where you come from and Botswana, which is important to us. It’s perfect.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Steve Parsons
