Promoting the empowerment of women was an important cause long before Meghan Markle became a member of the royal family.

On Friday, the Duchess gave a speech at the Robert Crack Upper School in Dagenham (opens in new tab), details of which were released last night. The Duchess' speech focused on gender equality and touched on the importance of young men in the fight for women's rights.

"When I thought about what I wanted to do this International Women's Day, it was very important for me to be with the women of the future. And that is all the young women here and also all the young men who are playing a very big role."

"Let's all rally together to make International Women's Day something that is not just on Sunday, but frankly every day of the year."

In addition to her speech, Princess Meghan met with students studying poetry by women writers in the library and spent time with a group practicing debates for the Model United Nations.

On this occasion she wore a cream jacket over a white top and slim black pants.

In 2015, Princess Meghan spoke at a UN Women conference on International Women's Day, saying, "I am proud to be a woman and a feminist."

The full text can be found below:

In recent years, Princess Meghan has celebrated the holiday, which "celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women," by visiting groups focused on inspiring young women to pursue careers in STEM fields, spent time speaking on a panel (open in new tab) about feminism organized by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust.

Princess Meghan recently returned to the UK for the first time since announcing plans to step down from her family's senior positions, and has kept up a busy schedule.

Last Thursday, she and Prince Harry attended the Endeavor Foundation Awards ceremony, where they each received one of the honors. Princess Meghan also made a private visit to her patron, the National Theatre, this week (opens in new tab).

It is speculated that tomorrow will be the Sussexes' last engagement before they officially retire from active duty on March 31. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that they will be reunited with the Queen, Prince Charles, and the Cambridges at a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey (opens in new tab).

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