Monday, 23 Sep 2024

Meghan Markle not expected to join Prince Harry on poignant solo New York trip

Prince Harry: Kristen Bell discusses meeting Duke of Sussex

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Meghan is not expected to join her husband Harry on Wednesday, when he travels to the Big Apple to attend the annual Salute to Freedom gala. Prince Harry will head to this poignant event as a veteran and a person who has dedicated much of his working life to support Army personnel and former servicemen and women.

Details of the gala, hosted at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, only include the Duke of Sussex as a special guest presenting five Intrepid Valor Awards to service members, veterans and military families living with the invisible wound of war.

While the Duchess is not mentioned as a special guest, there is still a chance she may appear as her husband’s companion to this important event.

The gala will be a formal occasion, requiring guests to attend in black tie or military evening dresses.

Ahead of the event, Susan Marenoff-Zausner, president of the Intrepid Museum, said: “We are so grateful to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, for honouring and amplifying the stories of these heroes and helping raise awareness for mental health support for our men and women in uniform.”

At the event, Prince Harry will be reunited with rockstar Jon Bon Jovi, who during the night will receive the Intrepid Lifetime Achievement Award.

The singer will be awarded for his work as chairman of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which focuses on breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness through affordable housing and shelter.

The organisation also helps veterans with permanent supportive housing.

Harry and Bon Jovi met at another occasion close to the Duke’s heart in February 2020.

Gathering at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, the pair collaborated on a new single recorded alongside the Invictus Games Choir.

The proceeds from the single, called Unbroken, went to the Invictus Games Foundation – a multi-sports tournament open to sick, ill and wounded veterans and servicemen and women launched by the Duke after he left the Army.

The Salute to Freedom gala is taking place the day before Armistice Day in the UK – known in the US as Veterans Day.

The gala won’t be the first event attended by Prince Harry following his relocation to the US honouring veterans and Army personnel.

In September, he joined US First Lady Dr Jill Biden in a virtual chat held in lieu of the Warrior Games, pushed back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing those who would have competed at the tournament – which inspired the Invictus Games – this year, Harry said: “To see every single one of you here with the pride on your faces makes me incredibly happy to know how far you guys have come, the dark places that you’ve been to, and where you are now.”

In the run-up to the gala, both Prince Harry and Meghan will be busy attending events.

Today at 7pm GMT, Meghan will join the virtual New York Times’ DealBook Summit, during which she will discuss “economic and professional parity” for women.

Two hours later, Harry will speak alongside experts about the real cost and impact online misinformation and fake news have on the individuals, communities and society at the REWIRED summit.

Meghan and Prince Harry travelled together to the Big Apple in September for their first public visit outside of California since they officially stepped down as senior royals.

During this trip, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with politicians, diplomats and decision-makers to discuss issues including racial justice and raising mental health awareness.

In their personal capacity and through their foundation, they also made a series of significant donations – including to a school in Harlem.

But their main focus was on promoting the cause of vaccine equity, which they deem essential to end the pandemic around the world.

With this goal, they attended a series of meetings, including a roundtable discussion hosted by the World Health Organisation.

Moreover, on their last day in New York, they took centre stage during the Global Citizen Live event to call on world leaders and pharmaceutical companies to take significant steps in favour of vaccine equity and support the battle against Covid being fought in developing countries.

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