Meghan Markle's 'tearful seven-word response' after final solo royal outing

After completing her final royal engagement, Meghan Markle was reportedly emotional to wave goodbye to her royal duties.

By Alycia McNamara, Reporter

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle attended Commonwealth Day in 2020 (Image: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, shared a special moment with her staff on her last-ever solo royal engagement, according to a royal book.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their royal duties and dropped their royal titles in 2020 following much speculation.

Before giving up their roles, they carried out some last royal engagements. Duchess Meghan became tearful as she gave a memorable speech.

For her last engagement, she held a private meeting at Buckingham Palace with Association of Commonwealth Universities scholars. After speaking to students about topics like climate change, Meghan made her way over to journalist Omid Scobie who had been invited to the event.


Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The couple announced they would be leaving their royal duties in 2020 (Image: Getty Images)

Mr Scobie wrote a book called ‘Finding Freedom’ which he co-authored with Carolyn Durand, in the book he spoke of how Meghan had used this as an opportunity to say farewell to her team.

In the book, Mr Scobie wrote: “Staff who had been with the couple from day one were mourning the end of what was supposed to be a happy story: two people fall in love, get married, have a baby, serve the Queen, the end. Instead, they were leaving the country. As Meghan gave me a final hug goodbye, she said, 'It didn’t have to be this way'”.

The final engagement took place at the 2020 Commonwealth Day Service with the rest of the royals at Westminster Abbey.


Meghan Markle

Meghan continues to carry out charity work after leaving her royal role (Image: Getty Images)

In their Netflix show, ‘Harry & Meghan’, the couple said this engagement was the first time he had seen many family members since the news broke that they would be quitting their royal roles.

Harry said: "The first time that we saw the other members of the family was in Westminster Abbey. We were nervous seeing the family because all the TV cameras and everybody watching at home and everybody watching in the audience. It's like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment. I felt really distant from the rest of my family, which was interesting because so much of how they operate is about what it looks like, rather than what it feels like. And it looked cold. But it also felt cold."


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