Meghan Markle hints at feminist role in monarchy

The Duchess of Sussex has given a hint of how she will shape her new role as a full-time member of the royal family as a biography was published on the monarchy's official website.

Wedding pictures show the newly-weds surrounded by the royal family. Picture: Alexi Lubomirski/Kensington Palace via AP

Hours after former actress Meghan Markle had exchanged vows with Prince Harry, the royal site had been updated to reflect its newest member.

And a powerful statement from Meghan has taken centre stage, with the page quoting her as saying: “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.”

The biography also highlighted her “life-long commitment” to a range of causes, including those promoting social justice and women’s empowerment.

The posting reflected on the royal bride’s work aged just 11, when she successfully campaigned for the wording on a TV advert to be altered after it used sexist language to sell washing-up liquid.

“Her Royal Highness also volunteered at a soup kitchen in Skid Row, Los Angeles, from the age of 13-17,” the biography adds.

The celebration of Meghan’s work came as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex thanked the well-wishers who took part in their marriage as they released three official wedding pictures.

The couple, who wed on Saturday during a moving ceremony that reflected the diversity of modern Britain, were said to be feeling “so lucky” to have shared their big day with the thousands gathered in Windsor. In one of the wedding photographs taken by Alexi Lubomirski, the newlyweds are shown in a romantic pose on the east terrace of Windsor Castle.

In another image Harry and Meghan are pictured with the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the bride’s mother Doria Ragland and the young bridesmaids and pageboys, including Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The final image shows the Duke and Duchess with the young children again, who were an integral part of their big day. The newly-married pair will have little time to recover from their fairytale wedding as they head straight back to work this week.

Harry and Meghan will not be jetting off on a honeymoon straight away unlike most other newlyweds.

They will instead carry out their first official engagements as husband and wife when they attend a Buckingham Palace garden party today as part of the Prince of Wales’s 70th birthday celebrations.