Meghan Markle discusses gender equality during surprise visit to London university

The Duchess of Sussex spoke with students about the impact of higher education

Sabrina Barr
Thursday 06 December 2018 17:02 GMT
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The Duchess of Sussex has continued to encourage open conversations about gender equality by discussing the subject while making a surprise visit at a London university.

On Wednesday 5 December, the duchess ventured to King’s College London for an event held by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

During the visit, the duchess took part in conversations about several topics, including human trafficking, modern slavery, gender equality, peace and climate change.

Her attendance at the discussions wasn’t publicised prior to the event, so her appearance was a surprise for both the students and academics present.

“We had an excellent discussion about how research can tackle the problems of slavery and human trafficking,” tweeted Professor Laura Hammond, of the SOAS University of London.

“Thanks to HRH Duchess of Sussex for joining us!”

The aim of the event at King’s College was to explore how higher education can be used to “help build a better world”, as stated on the ACU website.

“It was a pleasure to host such a valuable discussion,” King’s College London tweeted.

“Grateful to HRH The Duchess of Sussex for sharing her insights.”

The event followed the first official speech that the duchess gave to students at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji in October 2018, as part of her royal tour with Prince Harry.

During the speech in Fiji, Meghan emphasised the importance of providing education to girls and women, describing higher education as “incredible, impactful and pivotal”.

While in New Zealand in October, she gave a powerful speech that celebrated the 125th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the country.

“The achievements of the women in New Zealand who campaigned for their right to vote, and were the first in the world to achieve it, are universally admired,” she told the crowd in Wellington, which included New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

“Women’s suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness."

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