Meghan Markle Sparkled in a Gold Gown as She Accepted an Award

Woman of Vision Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex speaks onstage with Gloria Steinem and Teresa Younger during the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power at Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 16, 2023 in New York City — (Image credit: Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty)

Meghan Markle has laid fairly low since Prince Harry's memoir Spare was published in January, but the evening of May 16 was her time to shine—literally.

The Duchess of Sussex arrived at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York City on Tuesday, flanked by husband Prince Harry and mom Doria Ragland.

There, she was presented with an award "for her global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls" by feminist activist Gloria Steinem, co-founder of the Ms. Foundation and a close friend of Meghan's.

To accept her award, the duchess positively stunned in a gleaming gold gown designed by Johanna Ortiz (per Us Weekly). The dress was strapless and ankle-length, and featured a discreet cutout and leg slit in the front.

Meghan paired the dress with black heeled sandals and wore her hair down and side-parted, showing off a gold hoop earring.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leave The Ziegfeld Theatre on May 16, 2023 in New York City.

In her acceptance speech, the duchess praised her fellow honorees, then went on to explain what the Ms. Foundation and Ms. magazine have meant to her throughout her life.

"It's funny because, as a young girl, I would come home and I'd settle in after a day of school, pull up my TV tray with dinner, and I would turn on my evening ritual of Jeopardy," she said.

"I would glance at the coffee table, where I would see an array of things. It could be the cat's collar, my homework, some mail that had just been brought in, and some magazines.

"The magazines said Ms. on them and I remember them vividly because the pictures were different.

"There was a diversity that I hadn't seen as often, both of color and of age, and the names were different.

"There were congresswomen, there were astronauts, and the topics were different: from mothering to being a working mom, to heavier topics such as domestic violence, the poverty line, unearthing its roots, where it comes from, and matters of equity.

"And now when I say 'different' in describing this Ms. magazine on the coffee table full of our home in Cloverdale, I mean, different from the covers of the magazines I would see at the grocery store checkout."

She went on to explain that she was too young to understand what all of this meant, but that these magazines sent a clear message to her.

"It signaled to me that there was just so much more than the dolled up covers and the images that you would see on the grocery store covers," she said.

"It signaled to me that substance mattered.

"The presence of Ms. magazine was more than a tool that I inherently learned from.

"It was an invitation to pay very close attention to the fact that change is just one action away."

She went on to say, "Ms. was formative in that cocooning. It piqued my curiosity and it became the chrysallis for the woman that I would become, and that I am today.

"I am a woman who remains inspired and driven by this organization and by those around me."

Congrats to the duchess!

Meghan’s speech - recounting seeing Ms. Magazine pic.twitter.com/p0AMWYv132May 17, 2023

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Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.