Duchess set for her first solo engagement

JUST FOUR months after becoming a member of the monarchy, The Duchess of Sussex is set to carry out her first solo royal engagement next week.

Meghan’s milestone moment will see her venture out without the support of Harry or other Royals at the opening of a major art exhibition.

The 37-yearold former actress will join guests next Tuesday at the Royal Academy of Arts in central London for the opening of an exhibition of works from the Oceania region.

The function comes following her marriage to Harry on May 19 and will see her step out to represent the Royal family almost two months sooner than The Duchess of Cambridge did after her wedding day in 2011, when she stood in for the Prince of Wales at a private fundraising dinner in the October of the same year. The Royal Academy exhibition which opens next week will celebrate the art of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, encompassing the vast Pacific region. It will feature around 200 artworks from public collections worldwide and marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy. The Academy was founded in 1768, the same year that Marton-born explorer Captain James Cook set out on his first Endeavour expedition. Meghan and Harry are due to visit Australia, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand next month and the duchess will be shown art from all four of those countries during her tour of the exhibition.