Duchess to conduct first solo outing on eve of Pacific tour
THE Duchess of Sussex is to carry out her first official solo royal engagement next week, as she attends the opening of an exhibition celebrating the Pacific cultures she will soon visit on tour.
The event is a milestone for the Duchess as a member of the monarchy, seeing her at work without the support of her husband or other senior members of the Royal family.
On Monday she launched her first charity project, a fundraising cookbook created by women from the Grenfell Tower community, hosting its launch tomorrow, with the Duke at her side.
The 37-year-old former actress will join guests next Tuesday at an exhibition of art from Oceania at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
The Duchess of Cambridge carried out her first solo engagement, standing in for the Prince of Wales at a private fundraising dinner, in October 2011, six months after her wedding.
The Oceania exhibition marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy, which was founded in 1768, the year Captain James Cook set out on his first Endeavour expedition.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to tour part of the region next month, visiting Australia, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand. The Duchess will meet the exhibition’s curators, artists and descendants linked to the works on display, and view a short performance by Ngati Ranana, a Maori cultural group.
Oceania at the Royal Academy of Arts will be open to the public from Sept 29 to Dec 10.