Meghan Markle joins Queen Elizabeth at Commonwealth Day service

Meghan Markle joined Queen Elizabeth for the first time at an official public engagement Monday as the pair attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

The event celebrates the Queen’s commitment to the Commonwealth, which is made up of nearly 2.4 billion people across 53 countries.

Markle attended the event along with her fiancé Prince Harry. The two are set to marry in Windsor in May.

They were joined by Harry’s brother, Prince WIlliam, the Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Markle’s future father in-law, Prince Charles.

While Markle had not attended an official public engagement with the Queen before Monday, she has spent time with the monarch previously, notably on Christmas Day.

Markle joined the royal family’s traditional Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, the Queen’s country estate in rural Norfolk, about 100 miles north of London.

According to British media, it was the first time that someone who had yet to marry into the royal family was invited to take part in their holiday celebrations.

Wedding plans

Markle and Prince Harry have made a number of public appearances in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, the couple announced their intention to invite more than 2,600 members of the public into the grounds of Windsor Castle to share their wedding day.

The invitees will be able to watch the arrival of the bride and groom and their guests at St. George’s Chapel, where the ceremony is to take place, and to watch the newlyweds depart the castle on a carriage procession through the town of Windsor.

The wedding will take place at 12 p.m. GMT (7 a.m. ET) on May 19 and will be officiated by the Dean of Windsor, Rt. Rev. David Conner, and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the royal family revealed last month.

Following the carriage procession through Windsor after the ceremony, the newlyweds and guests will attend a reception at St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle prior to a private evening reception for friends and family hosted by Prince Charles.

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