Meghan Markle to Join Queen for First Public Engagement

Prince Harry's fiancée, Meghan Markle, is set to undertake her first public engagement with the Queen on March 12th, according to a Buckingham Palace announcement.

The annual Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey will be attended by other members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Although Markle joined the Queen for Christmas at Sandringham, this will be her first official engagement.

The service, which is attended by the royals each year, will also feature singer Liam Payne.

The Queen has a personal interest in anything related to the family of nations, and both Harry and Meghan have expressed their eagerness to develop their public role within the Commonwealth.

The Duchess of Cambridge did not attend the same event before her 2011 wedding, choosing instead to wait until after she was married to undertake an official engagement with the Sovereign.

Markle's attendance at the event marks her first public duty as a member of the royal family.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that the Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Countess of Wessex, the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra will attend the Commonwealth service at Westminster Abbey on Commonwealth Day, Monday 12 March.

The service will include a special musical performance by artist Liam Payne and a reflection by Dr. Andrew Bastoris, an eye surgeon who turned a smartphone into an examination tool which works to combat avoidable blindness in developing countries.

The service will be broadcast live on BBC One and across BBC World Service, in celebration of Her Majesty's lifetime commitment to the Commonwealth.

Later in the evening, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke of Cambridge will be guests of the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the reception which traditionally takes place on Commonwealth Day at Marlborough House, the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Markle's appearance at the event is just one of many public engagements she will undertake in the coming months.