Prince Harry (L) and Meghan Markle (R), the Duke and Dutchess of Sussex, arrive to attend the 2020 UN Nelson Mandela Prize award ceremony at the United Nations in New York on July 18, 2022. – The Prize is being awarded to Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece and Doctor Morissanda Kouyate of Guinea. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Yesterday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly, marking their first public appearance since the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last month in London. 

During his speech on Monday night to mark the life and legacy of former South African leader, Nelson Mandela, the Duke of Sussex mentioned the moment he realised he’d found his “soulmate” in his now-wife, who attended the event alongside him wearing a black T-shirt with a matching bodycon black midi-skirt and a pair of black suede Manolo Blahnik pumps.

Prince Harry (R) and Meghan Markle (L), the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attend the 2020 UN Nelson Mandela Prize award ceremony at the United Nations in New York on July 18, 2022. – The Prize is being awarded to Marianna Vardinoyannis of Greece and Doctor Morissanda Kouyate of Guinea. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

“Since I first visited Africa at 13 years old, I’ve always found hope on the continent,” Harry said. “In fact, for most of my life, it has been my lifeline. A place where I found peace and healing time and time again.”

“[It’s] where I knew I’d found a soulmate in my wife,” he added, referencing his and Markle’s 2019 visit to Africa, as well as the first trip they took together as a couple before the public found out about their relationship. He also referenced his late mother, Princess Diana, and the connection she, too, had to the place. 

“It’s where I felt closest to my mother and sought solace after she died,” Harry said, referencing a photo of Princess Diana and Nelson Mandela that was taken in Cape Town in 1997 just months before her tragic death. When I first looked at the photo, straight away what jumped out was the joy on my mother’s face, playfulness, cheekiness even,” he told the crowd. “The pure delight in being in communion with another soul so dedicated to serving humanity.”

Following the event, the couple went out for dinner with friends to the Italian restaurant Locanda Verde in New York City with Markle opting to wear a chic Gabriela Hearst strapless jumpsuit. The mother-of-two paired the monochromatic look, which featured on-trend cut-out detailing at the back, with a plum-coloured Bottega Veneta pouch bag and strappy Aquazzura heels.

She wore her long brunette hair in a sleek low ponytail and kept her beauty look minimal. Harry, meanwhile, wore a blue short-sleeve shirt with matching navy chinos and sneakers. Soulmates and stylemates.