Duchess Meghan's secret engagement before bidding goodbye to royal life

Since returning to the UK, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s last royal engagements have been highly publicised and closely followed by media and royal watchers.

However, there was one final hurrah that the Duchess of Sussex managed to sneak in after attending the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey.

At Buckingham Palace, the royal met with a group of students from 11 Commonwealth countries – Malawi, India, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

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Earlier this week The Duchess of Sussex, in her role as Patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), met with the bright minds from across the Commonwealth to hear about their commitment to tackling the global challenges we all face. The Duchess spoke with Scholars studying and researching important areas surrounding; cleaning up plastic pollution in our oceans, helping to build more sustainable cities, improving health outcomes for citizens, and supporting decent work and economic growth. Paving the way as the next generation of leaders, these inspirational scholars, are spread far across the Commonwealth from Malawi to Malaysia, Ghana to Sri Lanka – all of whom will use the skills and knowledge they gain while studying in the UK to make a difference when they return to their home countries. The Duchess, who also attended university with support of a scholarship, is a strong advocate of accessible education for all. As the Royal Patron of The Association of Commonwealth Universities (@The_ACU_Official) since January 2019, The Duchess has met and engaged with students, academics, and staff from ACU member universities across the Commonwealth to learn more about the vital work they do to address global challenges. As President and Vice President of The @Queens_Commonwealth_Trust, The Duke and Duchess thank all those who are working to give access to education for all.

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Mar 11, 2020 at 3:33pm PDT

It was there the group discussed the importance of sustainability and climate change and was a meeting that lasted around 30 minutes according to reports.

The visit was kept private and intimate as it was not mentioned on the Court Circular and any details surrounding the secret meeting did not emerge until days later.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told Hello! that the Duchess “was thrilled to have the chance to meet inspirational scholars doing ground breaking work in the fields of climate change and the environment, sustainable cities, health and innovation and technology.”

“As a university graduate who also benefited from attending with support from a scholarship, the Duchess of Sussex is a strong advocate of accessible education for all,” the spokesperson added.

It is reported the students were delighted by her interest and participation for their causes.

The video shared to the Sussex Royal Instagram account featured Duchess Meghan alternating between talking to the group appearing animated and excited, to attentive and interested in the student’s words.

Meghan is reported to have returned to her son Archie in their home back in Canada.

Scroll through the gallery to see Duchess Meghan's colourful outfits.