Meghan Markle Makes First Public Appearance Since Announcement To 'Step Back' From Royals

Meghan Markle visited a women’s center in Vancouver, Canada, on Tuesday in her first public engagement since last week’s shock announcement that she and husband Prince Harry would “step back ” as senior members of the royal family.

The Duchess of Sussex discussed “issues affecting women in the community” during her visit to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre , according to a Facebook post shared by the organization.

“Look who we had tea with today,” the center captioned a picture:

The center whose mission is “to provide a safe , non-judgmental environment for women from all walks of life, who live and/or work in the Downtown Eastside” did not immediately reply to HuffPost’s request for further information about the visit.

It came, however, amid heightened scrutiny of Meghan and Harry following their decision to split time between the United Kingdom and Canada and work to become financially independent. Meghan travelled to Canada with the couple’s son Archie following the announcement.

Queen Elizabeth II and Princes Charles, William and Harry held talks at the queen’s Sandringham Estate on Monday as the complicated process of extricating Harry and Meghan from the royal family continued.

The queen called the discussions “very constructive,” adding she was “entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.”

“Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family , we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family,” the queen added in her statement.