Kensington Palace Confirms Meghan Markle Will Make Her First Solo Royal Appearance at Royal Academy Oceania Ex

Since the day she became a fully-fledged member of the British royal family, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) has thrown herself into her new role, attending numerous prestigious events by the side of husband Prince Harry (opens in new tab), and even brushed shoulders like old friends with her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II (opens in new tab). But, five months after the royal wedding, it seems as though Meghan has officially graduated from Duchess School and earned her regal stripes.

Kensington Palace has announced that Meghan is set to make her first ever SOLO royal appearance in just a matter of days, confirming that she will visit the Royal Academy next Tuesday to view its Oceania exhibition. The event will be her first time representing the royal family without Harry—or anyone else, for that matter—to rely on when it comes to sticking to the complicated protocol (opens in new tab).

Making the announcement this morning on Twitter, the Palace happily revealed: “The Duchess of Sussex will attend the opening of 'Oceania' at @RoyalAcademy on Tuesday 25th September. The Duchess will view exhibits from regions including New Zealand, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and Australia, which she and The Duke of Sussex will visit in October.”

If Meghan wasn’t already excited for her upcoming epic trip down under (opens in new tab) (which hey, she probably is), then she soon will be. The exhibition is perfect timing, as it explores the art and history of many of the destinations which she and Harry are set to explore during their first royal tour (opens in new tab) which begins on Tuesday 16 October. And no pressure on the Duchess, but royal family fans are pretty excited about the prospect of her going solo.

We’re sure that Meghan will have absolutely no problem with her debut opportunity to take the royal reigns by herself. In fact, alongside the release of her admirable first solo project with the Royal Foundation (opens in new tab), and her hosting on Thursday of a celebratory event for the launch of cookbook Together, it looks like we're in the golden era of Duchess of Sussex, 2.0.