Meghan Markle’s Next Royal Engagement With The Queen Has Been Announced

It's been just over a month since Meghan Markle officially became the Duchess of Sussex, and she's already plunged headfirst into her royal commitments — and formed a strong bond with the Queen. This week, she made her Royal Ascot debut, arriving in a horse-drawn carriage before joining the Queen in the royal box to watch the opening day of the races. And last week, she took an even bigger step: her first royal outing with the Queen minus Prince Harry, as they visited Cheshire to officially open the Mersey Gateway Bridge. Now the Palace has announced that the Queen and the Duchess of Sussex’s next royal engagement will be for the Her Majesty's Young Leaders awards at Buckingham Palace on June 26.

The Queen's Young Leaders programme celebrates young people from across the 53 Commonwealth nations, which lines up exactly with the Duchess of Sussex’s stated plans as a royal: in her engagement interview with Prince Harry, as this full transcript compiled by ABC shows, both of them referenced young people across the Commonwealth in terms of where they'd like to invest their efforts.

Meghan attended the Commonwealth Youth Forum in April, while her 16-foot wedding veil was hand-embroidered with a flower from each Commonwealth nation.

In his first speech as the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, Harry reiterated that his wife is keen to dedicate more of her time as a new royal to the young people of the Commonwealth. He said: "I am also incredibly grateful that the woman I am about to marry, Meghan, will be joining me in this work, of which she too is hugely excited to take part it."

What exactly are the Queen's Young Leaders awards? Launched in 2014 and wrapping up this year, the official website states, "The Queen's Young Leaders programme discovers, celebrates and supports exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth, leaving a lasting legacy for Her Majesty The Queen."

The awards are given to young people between 18 to 29 years who are making a significant impact in their communities. According to the website, "Winners of this prestigious award will receive a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK during which they will collect their award from Her Majesty, The Queen. With this support, Award winners will be expected to continue and develop the amazing work they are already doing in their communities."

This year's winners include Hauwa Ojeifo, from Nigeria, who launched a mental health support group for women called She Writes Women; Alice Ahadi Magaka, from Tanzania, who set up The Pink Box Project to distribute sanitary products and prevent young people missing school during their periods; Trisha Shetty, from India, who founded the youth-led organisation SheSays to promote gender equality; and Leanne Armitage, from the U.K., who founded Leanne's Amazing Medics to encourage young people of colour and working-class young people to enter medicine.