Maria Puente
USA TODAY
Published 2:51 PM EST Mar 7, 2020
Royal fans got another glimpse of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan of Sussex as their “farewell tour” of sorts continued Saturday in London at the Royal Albert Hall at a music festival showcasing Britain’s military bands.
The Canada-bound couple, whose status as working senior royals will change on April 1, arrived at the venue named for one of Harry’s royal ancestors to a mob of jostling photographers similar to the one that greeted them Thursday night at the annual Endeavour Awards for wounded warriors.
This time, Meghan was striking in an all red ensemble: A floor-length red dress with a coordinating clutch, dark red statement earrings and red pumps. Harry too, was sporting the color, wearing his Royal Navy uniform, according to the Mirror.
According to the Mirror, Meghan wore what appeared to be a gown from British fashion house Safiyaa.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were at the Royal Albert for the annual Mountbatten Festival of Music. The festival, named for his grandfather, Prince Philip, is dedicated to bringing together musicians, composers and conductors of the Massed Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.
Like the Endeavour Awards event, it was another nod by Harry to his philanthropic support for all things military (he’s a former British Army officer), especially veterans and wounded warriors.
This year, the festival performance marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 80th anniversary of the formation of Britain’s Commandos.
The festival is an opportunity for the Royal Marines Bands to showcase their musicianship and sense of pageantry, according to Buckingham Palace. The performance features a range of musical styles, including music from the movies and traditional marches and overtures.
Proceeds from the event go to the Royal Marines Association, The Royal Marines Charity and CLIC Sargent, which supports cancer patients under 25 and their families.
The festival marks the second joint appearance by Harry and Meghan since the couple returned to the United Kingdom to carry out a series of final engagements before they return to Canada to become financially independent “free royals.”
On Monday, the Sussexes are due to join Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family, including Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge, for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
On Sunday, Meghan is expected to mark International Women’s Day.
Earlier on Thursday, Meghan, patron of the National Theatre, paid a secret visit to the Immersive Storytelling Studio in London, where virtual reality technology is being used to develop new forms of storytelling.
The visit, which was not announced in advance, was documented in a series of pictures of Meghan in a white shirt and long skirt posted Friday on the Sussex Instagram page, which also confirmed for the first time a visit the couple paid to Stanford University last month.
The Instagram post said “part of their learning journey” at Stanford included a virtual reality presentation to allow a user to experience life through someone else’s point of view. “The goal of this method of virtual reality is to enable us to better connect and empathize with each other as people, regardless of race, age or nationality,” the caption read.
On Friday, in another secret engagement, Meghan was seen in a video published by the Daily Mail and The Sun getting out of a car and greeting teachers at a high school in east London. The video, which showed her dressed in black pants and a cream jacket, appeared to be taken by a bystander outside the school.
“Meghan Markle arrives in Dagenham to meet school pupils on her second day back in the UK,” The Sun tweeted.
USA TODAY reached out to Buckingham Palace about why these engagements were not announced or covered by royal pool reporters. The Sussexes have already announced that after April 1, they will no longer be represented by Buckingham Palace nor be covered by the usual royal rota.
After the Commonwealth service, it may be some months before the Sussexes are back in London and with the family again, possibly in June for the annual Trooping the Colour parade honoring the queen’s birthday. She turns 94 in April but her birthday is officially celebrated in June when the weather is more reliable.
Since Thanksgiving, Meghan and Harry have been living in a borrowed mansion on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who turns 1 in May.
The couple have not disclosed if they intend to stay on the beautiful but somewhat remote island or move elsewhere in Canada, such as Toronto where former actress Meghan lived for years while filming “Suits.” They may also spend time in Southern California where she was born and where her mother lives.
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