Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are currently on day three of the southern Africa tour. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex delighted royal watchers with an appearance from Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, as they took the royal baby to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu. However, Meghan surprised onlookers when she was out and about without her precious engagement ring.
Instead, the Duchess wore her Welsh gold wedding band with a small, unobtrusive turquoise ring.
She also removed the diamond eternity band which she first sported on her ring finger alongside her wedding and engagement rings at Trooping the Colour this summer.
A royal aide said the decision to wear a less flashy ring was because the Duchess wanted to be “low key”.
However, Kate Middleton has never made a similar move in taking her engagement ring off while on tour.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have brought their own brand of royal to their latest official trip to Africa. While their son Archie Harrison stole the show when he joined his parents to meet Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, the Duke and Duchess have been praised for their warm-hearted approach to royal engagements. They have hugged many of the people they have met and while this tactile approach may upset traditionalists it will have delighted the Queen, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now halfway through their 10-day tour of Africa and have proved a hit with everyone they have met.
While Meghan and Harry have been criticised for doing things differently in the past their “uniquely informal” tour has had an “electrifying response”, a royal expert has claimed.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk: “The way Meghan and Harry have handled their tour in South Africa so far has been uniquely informal, from hugging and dancing to Meghan not wearing her engagement ring."
It has been a carefully crafted campaign, with the Duchess of Sussex sitting on the floor with fellow moms, hugging impoverished kids, wearing “old” clothes — even leaving her $140,000 engagement ring at home.
Sources told The Post she is being advised on the image repair by close pals, including friend Keleigh Thomas Morgan and others at Sunshine Sachs, an LA firm known for celebrity crisis management.
“Meghan knew she needed help, [so] she reached out to a very few trusted people, including Keleigh,” said a close Meghan insider. “She has a few girlfriends in the UK who are extremely well-versed in British media.”
For a visit to a Cape Town mosque, Meghan wore a $325 dress by Staud and a scarf by Cuyana — both brands that are based in her native Los Angeles
Perhaps most important in terms of giving the public what they want, Meghan and Harry finally allowed son Archie to be candidly photographed. Previously they had released only a handful of formal photos and were accused of “hiding” the baby.
The Sussex Royal Instagram account posted a video of the family walking to see the anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu as Harry told his son: “You’re going to meet Arch, Arch.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will reunite and start doing joint events again Wednesday in South Africa, but the Duchess of Sussex did her own solo event today in Johannesburg.
Meghan met with artists at Victoria Yards. She debuted two new pieces for the occasion: a navy button-front dress from Aritzia and red slingbacks from Everlane. Both are under $160, and neither are sold out yet:
The Duchess of Sussex was today hailed for inspiring women 'partly because she is black' as she attended two solo visits before being reunited with her husband Prince Harry tonight.
Meghan received the praise from University of Johannesburg vice chancellor Tshilidzi Marwala this morning after visiting for a round table discussion about access to higher education.
The Duchess reached for her notes while announcing new scholarships and grants at the university, admitting: 'I will use note cards today because, my goodness, this last bit I can't screw up.'
Later, Meghan hugged an eight-year-old girl after she was given flowers and pictures when she visited an Action Aid centre in the city to speak about the troubling issue of gender-based violence.