Footage of one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's final days as working members of the royal family has gone viral, after fans labeled it "iconic" on social media.
Harry and Meghan broke working ties to the monarchy in early 2020, announcing their intention to spend more time in North America and to make moves to become financially independent. After a tense period within the monarchy as the terms of their split were negotiated during a January 2020 meeting in England known as the "Sandringham Summit," it was announced that the couple would undertake their final royal engagements in the following March.
Harry and Meghan flew from the home they were living in, located in Western Canada at the time, to fulfil their final round of duties, which included several high profile events.
They included The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House in London on March 5. The fund was founded by Prince Harry in 2012 to support wounded, sick and injured veterans as part of the Royal Foundation ,which he shared at the time with Prince William and Princess Kate.
In 2020 the fund was transferred to Harry's veterans sports tournament's governing body, the Invictus Games Foundation.
Uploaded to TikTok by user portojj on July 16, footage of Harry and Meghan arriving for the awards ceremony has gained over 400,000 views so far.
It captures the moment that the couple walked into the historic Mansion House during a rain shower. Shielded by an umbrella, the couple were heavily photographed during their entrance with the raindrops illuminated by camera flashes, highlighting the turquoise blue of the duchess' dress.
The post has gained over 56,000 likes so far and numerous comments, many of which praised the couple and their appearance.
"This moment will forever be iconic," wrote one TikTok user, with another adding: "One of the most iconic moments of their royal life 👑 Her dresses told a story at that time. The photos were amazing."
During her final engagements as a working royal, Meghan made a statement with her fashion choices, opting for a rainbow of vivid colors, whereas before she had opted for neutral tones.
In her 2022 Netflix docuseries, Meghan said that the decision to wear neutrals as a working royal was deliberate so that she didn't draw attention away from senior members of the family.
"Until that last week in the U.K., I rarely wore color. I never wanted to upstage or ruffle any feathers," she told viewers.
"So, I just tried to blend in. But I wore a lot of color that week...Yeah. I just felt like, 'Let's just look like a rainbow.'"
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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