Good afternoon! We're back with news on Meghan's next official engagement and a round up of several stories from the week.
Meghan to Discuss the Royal Foundation... Next Wednesday, 28 February, Meghan will join William, Kate and Harry to take part in the first annual Royal Foundation Forum at the offices of the Aviva, London. It will mark the first time the foursome has carried out an official engagement together. All four will appear on stage together to discuss why The Royal Foundation was set up, the projects they are currently working on, and their ambitions for the future.
More from the press release:
'Under the theme ‘Making a Difference Together,’ the event will showcase the programmes run or initiated by The Royal Foundation, and will include a number of delegates who have been involved in key projects. The Royal Foundation's programmes to date include Heads Together, the Invictus Games, and United for Wildlife.
Launched in 2011, The Royal Foundation was set up by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry as the main vehicle to pursue their charitable and philanthropic interests. Once the Duchess of Cambridge became Patron, Their Royal Highnesses established a key focus of working together, as well as convening others to help tackle society's biggest challenges.'
Meghan will officially become the fourth patron of the Royal Foundation after the wedding in May. Her appearance at the Forum suggests she is already very well informed, I imagine it's possible Meghan will discuss her own hopes for its future and plans to include her own charitable interests. It should be a very interesting engagement!
A Date Night at Hamilton... Last Friday night, Harry and Meghan enjoyed a post-Valentine's date night at the Victoria Palace Theatre - just two miles from their home at Kensington Palace - for a performance of Hamilton.
More from E!
'E! News can confirm Harry and Meghan surprised the cast when they showed up to watch the Broadway hit at London's West End Theatre on Friday night. In fact, one of the cast members took to Twitter to express how proud she was.
"Was an honour to have Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in to watch @HamiltonWestEnd last night," Leslie Garcia Bowman wrote.
The Director of West End confirmed to E! News the pair enjoyed a private visit. Funnily enough, the play pokes fun at Harry's ancestor King George III, while telling the story of Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers of America.'
Commenter Upstate Diva reminded me Meghan saw Hamilton in New York in 2016 with friend Priyanka Chopra. It must be a favourite of hers.
It's good to hear the couple can enjoy an evening out in London privately. The cast were reportedly delighted to have them there and according to onlookers they appeared to have a fantastic evening.
A Tour of Australia and New Zealand... We recently discussed reports about Harry and Meghan's participation in the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The always reliable Roya Nikkhah offered additional insight in her piece for The Sunday Times:
'Prince Harry will take on an official leadership role with the Commonwealth in a bid to attract new generations to the organisation. In a significant boost to his position within the royal family — and in an effort to cement the monarchy’s ties to the member nations — Harry is expected formally to accept a new role at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in London, which will run from April 16 to 20.
Senior royal sources confirmed that the prince will play a leading part at the summit, which is to be hosted by the Queen. She has been head of the Commonwealth since her coronation in 1953. Heads of all the 53 member nations are expected to attend. Harry, 33, is keen to carve out a distinct role for himself after his marriage in May to the American former actress Meghan Markle, 36, and he sees a Commonwealth position as a fitting tribute to his grandmother’s legacy.
It is thought there is already agreement among the Commonwealth heads for Harry to adopt a “youth leadership” role and he is expected to speak at the summit’s Commonwealth Youth Forum.'
This is very exciting news as an official Commonwealth role could see the couple undertaking a number of trips abroad and building initiatives and projects with links to the UK. During the engagement interview Meghan said “There is so much work to do in the Commonwealth.” It's obviously been in the planning for some months, the couple are clearly keen to carve out their own identity within the firm and want to lend their support to strengthening the monarchy's ties around the world.
We know the couple will travel to Sydney in October for the Invictus Games. Roya reports they are currently looking into expanding the trip from a one week visit to a full royal tour of Australia and New Zealand.
'In October the couple will visit Sydney for the Invictus Games and royal sources have indicated plans to expand the trip into an official tour of Australia and New Zealand.'
Fashion Updates... Next, we have several fashion related updates to share. Meghan's gorgeous Strathberry East/West Mini is now available for pre-order with shipping in April. It's excellent to see the boost Meghan carrying their bags has given the Scottish business.
Meghan's P.A.R.O.S.H. engagement dress is now available in an array of colors at FarFetch. The $426 Bow Shift Dress features a sleeveless design, a round neck, a fitted silhouette knee length, a back zip fastening, a back slit at hem and a stretch fit. Below, the dress in navy, light blue and a lighter green than Meghan's.
The dress also comes in pink, white and red.
And the lovely Laura shared news the Armani Cutout Trousers Meghan wore in Vanity Fair are now in stock at Net-A-Porter.
Meghan in Racist Threat Terror... We conclude today's post on a very worrying note. Scotland Yard has confirmed they are investigating after a letter containing white powder purporting to be anthrax was sent to Meghan. The Evening Standard reports "The letter, addressed to her and fiancé Prince Harry and understood to contain a racist message, led to a security scare, with specialists rushed in to check the powder. Measures already in place meant the package was intercepted before it reached the couple. Meghan and Harry are understood to have been informed. Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism command were called in after the letter was received on February 12. It was delivered to St James’s Palace for sorting. Analysis of the powder found it was harmless."
It is both incredibly concerning and saddening to hear Meghan is receiving racist, abusive and threatening letters. For anyone active on social media, this will unfortunately come as no surprise. I've mentioned before, the level of abuse aimed at her is nothing short of horrific. Racism is absolutely rife - both blatant and veiled. It must be hugely difficult for her to contend with this in addition to all the major life changes she's experiencing, and of course to know abhorrent individuals are taking the time to post vile letters. I believe there's so much that needs to be done online and especially on social media to police this in an effective manner. It is unacceptable and cannot be swept under the carpet and allowed to continue.
Just as I was about to hit publish on this post, news came in it has been officially confirmed the Met Police are treating it as a "racist hate crime".