[ad_1]
Just over four months after becoming a member of the Royal Family, Meghan passed a royal milestone when she attended the opening of a major art exhibition.
And she even exchanged a Maori nose-rubbing greeting with a delegation of guests from New Zealand.
Her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, waited for almost six months after her wedding before she went to a function without Prince William accompanying her.
She stepped in for Prince Charles at a fundraising dinner in October 2011.
But Meghan, 37, who married in May, is a more experienced performer on the world stage than Kate.
She joined guests at the opening of an exhibition of works from the Oceania region, at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
The exhibition celebrates the art of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, and the Pacific region, including New Guinea, Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand.
Meghan, who is due to tour Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific nations of Fiji and Tonga next month with the Duke of Sussex, was shown art from all four countries on the visit.
The exhibition marks the 250th anniversary of the Royal Academy, which was founded in 1768, the year Captain James Cook set out on his first Endeavour expedition.
Carmel Sepuloni, New Zealand’s arts minister, said: “What a great honour it is to have Her Royal Highness to attend this event as her first solo duty as a member of the Royal Family.”
Video artist Lisa Reihani added that Meghan’s visit to the exhibition was “a great introduction to the sights and sounds of that part of the world”.
Oceania opens to the public from September 29 to December 10.
[ad_2]
