He and Duchess Meghan were spotted entering the building wearing their very best business chic—Harry in a navy suit and Meghan in a black dress. She kept her look very simple for this rare public engagement on the Sussexes’ part, accessorizing the dress with a slicked back ponytail and gold bracelets. It’s not known whether the couple’s 3-year-old son, Archie, or one-year-old daughter, Lilibet, traveled with Meghan and Harry to NYC or whether they stayed at home in Montecito, California. This is the first time we’ve seen the duke and duchess out and about since their showstopping appearance at the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee. Harry’s speech was to the UN General Assembly to mark Nelson Mandela International Day, in which he referred to Meghan as his “soulmate” in addition to speaking about the late South African president’s legacy. He first visited the African continent—which he described as a place “where I have found peace and healing time and time again”— when he was 13, he said, and has always “found hope” there. “It’s where I’ve felt closest to my mother and sought solace after she died, and where I knew I had found a soulmate in my wife,” Harry said, referring to his and Meghan’s romantic Botswana trip in 2017 before they were engaged. He went on to talk about a picture he has on his wall of his mother Princess Diana when she met Nelson Mandela in Cape Town in 1997.” The photo was presented to me by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose friendship and inspiration were their own treasured gift,” he said, adding, “When I first looked at the photo, straight away what jumped out was the joy on my mother’s face.“ The playfulness, cheekiness, even. Pure delight to be in communion with another soul so committed to serving humanity.” Meghan and Harry met with Desmond Tutu during their tour of South Africa in 2019 when Archie was a 4-month-old baby. “Arch, meet Arch!” Harry said at the time. At today’s ceremony the 2020 Nelson Mandela Prize was awarded to Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis of Greece and Dr. Morissanda Kouyaté of Guinea in recognition of their contributions to humanity.
