Meghan Markle Takes a Solo Visit to the Royal Academy's Oceania Exhibit in London

Just one day after competing in a flirty basketball competition (opens in new tab) with Prince Harry at the Coach Core awards, Meghan Markle is embarking on her first solo engagement (opens in new tab) to the Royal Academy's Oceania exhibit ahead of her and Harry's royal tour next month.

Meghan has attended an event without Prince Harry before, but she was accompanied by the Queen (opens in new tab). This time, it's solely the Duchess of Sussex previewing exhibits from regions like New Zealand, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Australia where she and Harry will visit in October (opens in new tab). The royal couple will be away from Kensington Palace for a couple weeks—starting in Australia on October 16th and ending in New Zealand on Halloween.

For today's exhibit, the Duchess ditched her signature curls again and dressed in an elegant black Givenchy dress (opens in new tab)—the same designer (opens in new tab) who created Meghan's wedding gown—and Aquazzura black bow pumps. Yesterday, she also wore her hair straight and played basketball in a navy Oscar de la Renta top, black Altuzarra pants, and black stilettos (opens in new tab). A woman of many talents, really.

The Royal Academy's Oceania exhibit (opens in new tab), which will run from September 29-December 10 in London, will "bring together around 200 exceptional works from public collections worldwide, and span over 500 years. The exhibition draws from rich historic ethnographic collections dating from the 18th century to the present, and includes seminal works produced by contemporary artists exploring history, identity, and climate change."

This visit will definitely help Meghan prepare for her trip (opens in new tab), which will specifically focus on environmental and conservation efforts along with youth leadership, and the recovery and rehabilitation of servicemen and women through the 2018 Invictus Games.