Royals: Meghan Markle to help Prince Harry with the Commonwealth

Prince Harry drew cheers as he announced his fiancé Meghan Markle will join him in his work as youth ambassador to the Commonwealth as he attended a forum in London on Monday.

The Prince, delivering his first speech since being appointed as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, said he was “honoured to be speaking to a room of inspiring young leaders” as he made mention of his future wife.

“In my new role, I will work to support The Queen, my father The Prince of Wales, and my brother William, all of whom know that young people are the answer to the challenges of today,” 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 in.”

The Prince paid tribute to his grandmother as he addressed the room at the Commonwealth Youth Forum.

“All of us here today can be grateful that it is a long life The Queen is still enjoying. Her Majesty's commitment has meant that The Commonwealth is a thriving family of nations, a common link between nearly two and a half billion people, and a defender of democracy, justice, and peace.

"I believe firmly that central to The Queen's success in supporting The Commonwealth has been her constant focus on not just the Prime Ministers and Presidents of member nations, but of the people themselves.”

Prince Harry and Ms Markle will marry next month at Windsor Castle and are expected to undertake an overseas tour of the Commonwealth, including  to Australia, where they will attend in the Invictus Games in Sydney.

Prince Harry also presented the Commonwealth Person of the Year award to Australian Usman Iftikhar.

Mr Iftikhar was chosen from four regional finalists for the award, which showcases the work of outstanding young people from across the Commonwealth.

The forum is the first leading up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London this week (CHOGM).