Just three months after it was announced that Meghan Markle had become engaged to Prince Harry, the soon-to-be-Duchess of Sussex encountered her first taste of life as a working royal – and it proved a rather awkward moment.
Appearing at the esteemed 2018 Endeavour Fund Awards, which seeks to recognise the achievements of wounded army personnel, Meghan’s first major moment in the spotlight was almost thrown into complete disarray when she ‘fluffed’ her lines onstage.
As Meghan headed to the stage at London‘s Goldsmiths’ Hall to co-present a Celebrating Excellence Award with the previous winner
Meghan began: ‘The second prize of the evening is awarded to an individual who has endeavoured to achieve excellence in their chosen sport or adventures challenge.’
The future Duchess then handed the microphone over to Mr Heritage, a British Army veteran, who unfortunately struggled to find the next line in the all-important script.
Yet Meghan handled the awkward interaction like a true pro, smiling brightly and laughing sweetly to keep the audience at ease, while Mr Heritage quipped: ‘Who organised the notes?’
Fortunately, Meghan, now 44, was eventually able to spot the next line and swiftly moved to the side to allow Mr Heritage to continue his speech.
Five years later, the truth behind the seeming confusion was finally revealed: David Wiseman, Director of the Invictus Games Foundation, shared during an interview that he had ‘messed up’ by giving the future Duchess the ‘wrong script’.
At the esteemed 2018 Endeavour Fund Awards, Meghan’s vital appearance was almost thrown into complete disarray when she ‘fluffed’ her lines onstage. However, the Duchess-to-be (pictured with previous winner Neil Heritage) handled it like a true professional
Speaking on HELLO! Magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast with hosts Andrea Caamano and Emmy Griffiths in 2023, the former army captain detailed his mishap before Meghan’s first public speech as the future Duchess of Sussex.
‘I was writing the scripts and there was a last-minute request for a change from her team. But she got the old version, and the new version was sent to her co-host,’ he said.