Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Step Out for Dinner with Friends in New York City
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making the most of their time in New York City!
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left dinner together hand-in-hand Monday night during their latest trip to N.Y.C. The couple was all smiles as they walked out of Locanda Verde after sharing a meal with friends at the Italian restaurant in Lower Manhattan.
Meghan, 40, wore a Gabriela Hearst black strapless jumpsuit with white fold-over trim and her hair pulled back, while Harry, 37, kept cool in a navy button-down and dark jeans.
The date night capped a busy day, with the couple flying in from California for Nelson Mandela Day at the United Nations. Prince Harry gave a special address in honor of the legendary South African leader.
"Those of us not fortunate to know Mandela well have come to understand the man through his legacy, the letters he wrote alone in his prison cell, the speeches he delivered to his people and those incredible shirts that he sported," he began.
ROKA/BACKGRID Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
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Prince Harry revealed that he keeps a 1997 photo from Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Princess Diana and Mandela close, the image "on my wall and in my heart every day."
"When I first looked at the photo, straight away what jumped out is the joy on my mother's face. The playfulness — cheekiness, even," Harry said. "The pure delight to be in communion with another soul so committed to serving humanity."
He added that Mandela was also "beaming" despite all the hardships he endured.
Sasa Kralj/AP Images Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana
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Touching on today's issues, Prince Harry continued, "This has been a painful year in a painful decade," given the global COVID-19 pandemic, issues surrounding climate change, the war in Ukraine, the spread of disinformation and the "rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States," referring the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade. However, he encouraged listeners to "do what Mandela did" by finding "meaning and purpose in the struggle."
Later on Monday, Meghan stepped out with friend and political activist Gloria Steinem for lunch at the Crosby Hotel in SoHo.
The Image Direct Meghan Markle and Gloria Steinem
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Just last month, the Duchess of Sussex and Steinem, 88, joined forces following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in a Vogue feature, where they addressed the importance of normalizing conversations about women's health.
Steinem also credited Meghan for their friendship, sharing that the duchess reached out to her following her move to California in 2020.
"Meghan, I owe this friendship to you," she said. "Because I did not realize that in California, where I was sheltering on a friend's ranch, we were neighbors. Or at least what is called neighbors in California, which means you're, what, a half-hour away."
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Meghan and Prince Harry most recently visited New York City in November 2021, marking Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the U.K. at the 2021 Salute to Freedom gala at the Intrepid Museum. After hitting the red carpet, Prince Harry, who served in the British army for 10 years, presented the inaugural Intrepid Valor Awards to five service members, veterans and military families living with the invisible wounds of war.
Before that, the couple spent time in Manhattan in September 2021, starting with a visit to One World Observatory at the World Trade Center with former Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife Chirlane McCray, their son Dante de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul.
