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Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle will be traveling to New York City where they will make an appearance at the United Nations.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will take part in a commemorative event at the General Assembly Hall on July 18, which is also Nelson Mandela Day.
“The South African Mission to the UN confirmed yesterday that yes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be taking part,” a spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly told Fox News Digital in a statement on Tuesday. “The Nelson Mandela Foundation selected the Duke and Duchess to participate.”
While further details were not provided, it is expected that Harry, 37, will give a speech, which is noted as his most important address since the couple stepped down as senior members of the British royal family in 2020.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Prince Harry’s upcoming speech is being noted as his most important address since the couple stepped down as senior members of the British royal family in 2020.
(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Global Citizen VAX LIVE)
In 2009, the United Nations announced that July 18 would be named in Mandela’s honor to commemorate the former president of South Africa’s humanitarian efforts. The date also marks his birthday.
Mandela, who became one of the world’s most beloved statesmen and a colossus of the 20th century when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa, passed away in 2013 at age 95. With the recognition, the United Nations has encouraged its members to observe the day in honor of Mandela’s legacy in promoting peace around the world.
This is not the first time the couple has traveled to New York from California, where they currently reside with their two children.
In September 2021, they were in NYC for a Global Citizen Live event to call for vaccine equity. The couple also visited One World Trade Center and the neighboring Sept. 11 memorial plaza. In addition, they appeared at the United Nations to meet with UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed during the 193-member world body’s annual gathering of leaders.
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Prince Harry will be accompanied by his wife Meghan Markle.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Global Citizen )
In November of that year, they returned to honor veterans ahead of Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the UK. The pair attended the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala at the Intrepid Museum where Harry, who served in the British army for 10 years, presented the inaugural Intrepid Valor Awards to five service members, veterans and military families. The gala raised money for the museum’s educational program, as well as initiatives to support veterans.
Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in May 2018 at Windsor Castle. The couple welcomed a son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, in 2019.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes towards the former “Suits” star, 40. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, California.
In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, seen here in the UK during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, reside in California with their two children.
(Chris J Ratcliffe)
Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were “concerning” and would be addressed privately.
In June of that year, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter named Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The name pays tribute to both Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname is Lilibet, and his late mother, Princess Diana.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
