The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the closing ceremony for the Sydney Invictus Games on Saturday evening. Prince Harry had made a speech at the opening ceremony, and he did a closing speech too, but what was remarkable was that… Meghan spoke too. Because they really are partners now. Before I get to Meghan’s speech, let’s talk fashion… she wore this Antonio Berardi dress and possibly the ugliest pair of Aquazzura pumps I’ve ever seen. The pumps make her look like she’s wearing orthopedic braces on her ankles or something. As for the Berardi dress… I dislike it, but I also think it looks like “classic Meg.” She loves the look of a trench, even if it’s a dress. Meghan is to trench wear what Kate is to buttons.

As for Meghan’s speech… she talked about how she was involved with military/veterans issues before she even began dating Harry, and how she made a USO trips to lift morale. Part of her speech:

“It’s such an honor to be here tonight with all of you and supporting my husband at the Invictus Games, which he founded four years ago. In a short span of time, the games have evolved into an international platform of some of the best athletics and sportsmanship you could ever witness, coupled with a camaraderie and close-knit community, which can only be defined as the Invictus spirit.”

“?I’m not sure if many of you know this, but a few years ago, before I had met my husband, I had the incredible honor of visiting troops deployed all over the world, from the U.K. to Italy and Afghanistan, and several other countries. In traveling to these military bases, I was given a very special glimpse into the lives of those who serve our countries. ?I was able to see the unshakable bonds between service men and women on the ground together, but at the same time to feel the palpable longing for family and friends while deployed.”

[From People]

She’s such a natural at this. I’m including the video below. I was going to say “can you imagine a certain other duchess doing this,” but then I really thought about it. You know what? I can’t really imagine any royal woman doing this, getting up at a major event and give a speech without notes to a packed house. Diana could do that (although she used notes most of the time), but other royal women tend not to be the major speechmakers at this kind of event. Which got me thinking… it’s clear that Meghan is incredibly good at this, but will there come a point where her natural charisma is seen as a liability, because stuffy British upper classes are stuffy? Or are the Windsors just flat-out thrilled that they’ve got a duchess who embraces this kind of thing?

“?The support system on the ground here at @InvictusSydney is something unlike any other. Because it’s not just cheering on your own, but realising that by the end of this week, ‘your own’ becomes everyone in the Invictus family.” — The Duchess of Sussex #IG2018 pic.twitter.com/F958H2YpQ1

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 27, 2018

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.