Prince Harry will return to New York for a very important reason in the coming months

Prince Harry will return to New York for a very special reason next month

Between the arrival of their daughter, Lilibet Diana, in June, their first official joint magazine cover, and, most recently, a whistle-stop tour of New York City, the past few months have been busier than ever for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Yes, in between caring for their two children, newborn Lilibet and toddler Archie, Harry and Meghan managed to sneak in a cross-country trip to New York, where they spoke on the importance of vaccine equity, and appeared at Global Citizen Live alongside the likes of Kylie Minogue and Jennifer Lopez.

The couple began their trip last Thursday, with a visit to One World Trade Centre Observatory, alongside NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul. Following a quick outfit change (with Harry paying the most adorable tribute to Archie with his choice of accessory), the couple then met with UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield to discuss issues related to coronavirus, racial justice, and mental health.

On Friday morning, the pair headed to an elementary school in Harlem, where Meghan gave a reading of her children's book The Bench to a second grade class, before rounding off the day with a trip to legendary comfort food restaurant Melba's, where Harry tried chicken and waffles for the first time. (He thought they were "delicious", ICYMI.)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The Sussexes' trip culminated with their appearance at Saturday's Global Citizen concert, where they appeared live on stage to urge the public to push for vaccine equity.

The couple were spotted with a videographer on their three-day tour of the city, prompting rumours that a fly-on-the-wall documentary on their post-royal life is in the works with Netflix, with whom they signed a huge deal last year. (We can hope, right?)

Though they've since returned to their home in Montecito, California, it appears that Harry and Meghan aren't quite done with the Big Apple just yet, either; with Harry scheduled to return to the East Coast in November for a very important reason.

Honouring five service members, veterans and military families "living with the invisible wounds of war", Harry will appear at the inaugural Intrepid Valor Awards in November ahead of Armistice Day. (Known as Veterans Day in the US.)

The prince will present the five recipients with the honorary award at a gala, with Susan Marenoff-Zausner, president of the Intrepid Museum, saying, "We are extremely proud to bestow the inaugural Intrepid Valour Awards to five incredible individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and persevered through extraordinary circumstances."

Though it's yet unclear as to whether Meghan will be joining him, Marenoff-Zausner added, "We are so grateful to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex for honouring and amplifying the stories of these heroes and helping to raise awareness for mental health support for our men and women in uniform."

That is lovely.

Kate McCusker

Kate McCusker is a freelance writer at Marie Claire UK, having joined the team in 2019. She studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins, and her byline has also appeared in Dezeen, British Vogue, The Times and woman&home. In no particular order, her big loves are: design, good fiction, bad reality shows and the risible interiors of celebrity houses.