Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stopped by a London radio station in a rough inner-city neighborhood, making their second official royal appearance as an engaged couple, ABC News is reporting .
Tuesday’s event was a far cry from the couple’s first royal appearance, where they stopped by Sandringham for family time with Harry’s family. It was all smiles, laughs, and hugs, as well as making faces at the assembled crowd and generally having a good time. Not so Tuesday; the couple went to Brixton, a rough neighborhood in south London, to meet with kids and teenagers who are at-risk for poverty, gang violence, and lives of crime.
There, they visited Reprezent, a radio station that provides training programs, educational programming, and generally helpful and uplifting messages to its listeners.
“We continue to campaign on a range of issues affecting young people; whether its domestic violence, unemployment or global current affairs, always providing a relevant platform for young Britain to be heard.”
Once inside, the couple toured the radio station and met a couple of DJs. One DJ, Jevanni Letford, gave Harry his business card, apparently with a view toward getting the job of providing the music at the upcoming royal wedding.
Excited crowds gather outside Reprezent radio station in anticipation of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s arrival
Pictures by @DailyMirror photographer @ianvogler https://t.co/xERtSaKSOB pic.twitter.com/CRqpycplwH
— Johnny Goldsmith (@MirrorJohnny) January 9, 2018
In the On Air studio, Prince Harry and Ms. Markle meet presenter Glory as she records her show for @ReprezentRadio . pic.twitter.com/72HjEQpAjv
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2018
Despite being royalty and having both lived lives of wealth and privilege, the people of Brixton seemed to welcome the prince and soon-to-be princess with open arms. Cheering fans greeted the couple, some of whom shouted “Meghan, we love you,” while the American actress blew kisses at the crowd.
However, it wasn’t all love and well-wishes , according to NBC News . Brixton, like so many urban neighborhoods in London, New York, and other cities, is feeling the pain of gentrification. Soaring rent prices are driving out the people who have called the neighborhood home for generations.
What’s more, the neighborhood is something of a melting pot, with African refugees having settled the area after World War II and then mixing with the locals. Meghan herself is bi-racial, with a white father and African-American mother, and some observers view the visit to the neighborhood as little more than a publicity stunt for Meghan.
Once the two are married, Meghan will take on an official role in Prince Harry’s Royal Foundation, a charity that intends to focus largely on mental health issues.
