Meghan Markle Delivers First Royal Speech and Prince Harry’s Reaction Is Perfect

Meghan Markle marked a major royal milestone on Thursday, delivering her first royal speech at an event celebrating the cookbook project Together, which features a foreward by the Duchess of Sussex.

Markle’s husband, Prince Harry, and mom, Doria Ragland, were also in attendance, with Harry looking on in admiration as his wife delivered her three-minute speech.

Video shared by ITV’s Chris Ship shows Harry standing to the side as Markle speaks, with the Duke offering a proud smile as his wife delivered her words with grace and poise. He also exchanged a smile with Ragland, who was attending her first royal event since her daughter’s wedding in May.

Together was created by a community of women, the Hubb Community Kitchen, who cook together twice a week at the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre. The group formed after the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which destroyed many of the women’s homes.

Markle began cooking with the women often, forming friendships with them and eventually sponsoring the cookbook, which was her first charity project since becoming a member of the royal family.

During the event, the Duchess spoke about how she felt welcomed by the women after she made the move to London.

“I just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by this kitchen — your warmth and kindness, and also to be able to be in this city and to see in this one small room how multicultural it was,” she said.

Markle called the cookbook “a labour of love,” and shared that it held special meaning as it was her “first project.”

“I said in the foreword that this is more than a cookbook, and what I mean by that is the power of food is more than just the meal itself. It’s the story behind it. When we get to know the story of the recipe, you get to know the person behind it,” the royal said. “That’s what we’re talking about in terms of coming together to really engage and talk and to be able to celebrate what connects us rather than what divides us. That, I believe, is the ethos of Together.”

Together will be released on Sept. 25 and proceeds from the cookbook will raise money for the kitchen to help it stay open and operational.

Photo Credit: Getty / WPA Pool