Wedded bliss: Royal duties and honeymooning on agenda for newlyweds Harry and Meghan

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have embarked on their first day as husband and wife, and there’s no rest for the world’s favourite newlyweds.

A packed schedule lies ahead for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have both made clear their intention to use their platform to make a difference.

Meghan, 36, unveiled her intentions for her role with a webpage on the monarchy’s official website. It displays a celebrated quote from one of her speeches, “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist,” as well as detailing her humanitarian achievements and plans to assist the Queen in royal duties in the United Kingdom and overseas.

It describes her work with the Myna Mahila Foundation, which empowers women in Mumbai through access to menstrual hygiene products and employment opportunities. Instead of wedding gifts, the couple requested donations to charities including this one.

The Suits star previously said she intends to “hit the ground running”, with the honeymoon on hold until she and Harry have made some early appearances and husband and wife.

The couple today left the Queen and Prince Phillip at Windsor Castle, where they stayed the night, and head home to their official residence at Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace.

On Tuesday, the royal couple will attend Prince Charles’s 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration, which recognises his charitable and military affiliations. The party for 6000 people ahead of Prince Charles’s birthday in November will take place on the Buckingham Palace lawn.

Meghan is due to join the Queen at the Chelsea Flower Show this week, before the newest member of the royal family and her husband make a short trip to Ireland. Harry, 33, has never been to the Republic before, while his wife visited as an ambassador for the One Young World summit in 2014.

Prince William and Kate have also never visited Ireland in an official capacity.

Harry and Meghan’s next official tour comes in October, when they will visit Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, when the Invictus Games is held in Sydney.

The pair made their first public appearance together at the Invictus Games — Harry’s event in honour of war heroes — in Toronto, Canada, in 2017.

They have made it clear the Commonwealth will be a priority, with flowers from all 53 countries hand-stitched into Meghan’s lace veil. The Queen also appointed her grandson a Commonwealth youth ambassador as a wedding gift, his most high profile role to date.

With all this going on, they will also fit in a romantic honeymoon to a far-flung destination, with Africa considered the most likely choice.

Harry is a huge fan of Botswana, where he took Meghan on an early date, and Namibia is reportedly their favoured destination, with its spectacular scenery and private luxury lodges making it the perfect place for a getaway.

Other possible locations for their break include Jamaica, where the couple attended Harry’s friend Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip’s wedding; Norway, where the lovebirds took their first holiday; Italy’s Amalfi Coast, where Meghan has spent time with friends; or Nevis in the Caribbean, which Harry first visited with his mother in 1993, returning in 2016 for a royal tour.

After the stress of organising the most anticipated wedding of a generation — as well as recent drama with Meghan’s family — they will be looking forward to getting away from it all.

The excitement and fanfare we have witnessed is just the first step in what will be a closely scrutinised relationship, with high hopes for what the unusual royal couple can achieve.

Meghan — a mixed race, American actress — has vowed to use her new role to improve the world, and Harry is also invested in charity work, following the example of his beloved late mother.

The Californian divorcee is the first woman to bear the title of Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex. The one former Duke of Sussex was married twice, but his father George III did not approve either marriage, so they were considered unlawful.

The Prince will also take on the titles Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel.

The couple are also expected to try for children soon, and are eventually likely to leave “Notts Cotts” for a 21-room Kensington Palace apartment, next to the one William and Kate moved into when they left the smaller property.

Princess Eugenie and fiance Jack Brooksbank now live in Ivy Cottage in the palace grounds, and Harry and Meghan will probably attend their wedding, which is also at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, on October 12 before flying to Australia.

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