A heavily-pregnant Meghan Markle doesn’t seem to have hit the wobbling stage as she rocked towering heels at a youth event to mark Commonwealth Day.
The duchess’ baby with Prince Harry is due in a few weeks but the pair were beaming as they were welcomed by fans outside Canada House in Pall Mall, London.
The 37 year old duchess wore a custom green wool embellished coat and matching dress by Canadian and Turkish fashion designer Erdem.
She teamed it with towering black Aquazzura Deneuve bow heels, which she has worn on a number of occasions and cost around £570, a £1,530 black satin Givenchy clutch, and yellow gold and opal earrings.
Many doctors advise against wearing high heels while pregnant , due to changes in the body which add strain to joints.
As high heels add extra strain, health professionals may advise pregnant women to steer clear of heels altogether or at least keep them for special occasions only.
The Commonwealth Day event was to showcase and celebrate the diverse community of young Canadians living in the capital and around the UK.
The couple were presented with adorable baby clothes worth £115.
They included a $25 organic and 100 per cent Fair Trade Canadian maple leaf baby bodysuit, a pair of scout moccasin worth $74.99, and white stripy hat with matching mittens costing $50.
Meghan herself lived in Toronto, Canada, for around seven years while filming Suits. She is said to regard the country as her ‘second home’.
The couple were welcomed by Canada’s High Commissioner to the UK Janice Charette, and signed a visitors’ book in the lobby of the building overlooking Trafalgar Square to mark the start of their visit.
Meghan was pictured affectionately putting her hand on Harry’s back to guide him inside.
She was also spotted without her wedding ring which is thought to probably be down to swollen fingers, which many pregnant women experience.
During their visit, Their Royal Highnesses had the opportunity to talk to groups of young Canadians from a wide range of sectors including fashion, the arts, business and academia, about their experiences as expats as well as opportunities for young people working in the Commonwealth.
The VIP visitors also met young people who demonstrated a Canadian spring tradition of making maple taffy (maple syrup cooled on snow to make sweets) as part of a traditional ‘Cabane à sucre’ or a ‘Sugar Shack’.
The pair got stuck in helping too.
They also attended a short reception and watched a musical performance.
As they left hand-in-hand Meghan was handed a bunch of white posies by two adorable children who she bent down to speak to and shake hands with.
The UK is home to a dynamic and vibrant community of expat Canadians. Up to 500,000 Canadians currently live in the UK, a figure that reflects the strong, historic and enduring bond between the two countries.
Later today, Harry and Meghan will join the Queen, who is Head of the Commonwealth, accompanied by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and The Duke of York to attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey.
Commonwealth Day has a special significance this year, as 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth – a global network of 53 countries and almost 2.4 billion people, a third of the world’s population, of whom 60 percent are under 30 years old.
Highlights of the Service include special musical performances by Grammy-award winning group Clean Bandit and the UK’s biggest-selling tenor, Alfie Boe.
A reflection will be given by Lewis Pugh, an endurance swimmer, ocean advocate and the UN Patron of the Oceans.
The Service will be broadcast live on BBC One and across the BBC World Service, in celebration of Her Majesty’s lifetime commitment to the Commonwealth.
Meanwhile last week, Meghan gave another sweet update on when Baby Sussex could arrive.
A cute video from a party held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles’s Investiture as the Prince of Wales shows the Duchess speaking to Welsh MP Alun Cairns.
He asks how she is getting on, adding: “I’m sure everyone is asking.”
Meghan replies: “No, it’s actually very sweet. It’s a very sweet, nurturing thing to ask. We’re nearly there!”