On their first joint visit to Birmingham, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended a ‘Stemettes’ event, supporting girls in STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) industries, and the Nechells Wellbeing Centre.
The royal visit coincided with International Women’s Day, so it was apt that Meghan, a woman who has fought throughout much of her adult life for women’s equality, was able to attend an event in support of women in STEM careers.
prince harry and meghan chat to the crowds in birmingham (kensington palace)
The couple arrived at Millenium Point, an all-purpose building, to see girls and women working in the STEM industries. They walked along the line of waiting spectators, shaking hands, talking and joking, and greeting a group of excited school children.
Thank you to everyone (dogs included!) for the warm welcome to Birmingham this morning. pic.twitter.com/f6E3gbGfiP
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 8, 2018
Meghan asked the pupils if they were cold – it just goes to show how different the weather is between Birmingham and the warmer climes that Meghan has become accustomed to across the Atlantic.
For details on the bride-to-be’s outfit, head to Replicate Royalty.
Prince Harry and Meghan met some of the school children benefiting from the centre; one girl told Harry that she wanted to be an actor when she is older, so he took her over and introduced her to Meghan.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Millennium Point is the West Midlands’ focal point for promoting STEM and is committed to providing the young people of the region with the opportunities to be the pioneers of the future.
Inside, the royal couple tried on a virtual reality visor, as some pupils worked on a project which involved making bananas into bongos! The engaged couple also learnt about “space gynaecologists” and periods in zero gravity, coding and app building.
Princess Anne was at a similar event on Wednesday at the National Space Centre, while The Duchess of Cornwall welcomed the Women of the World festival to Clarence House, and The Countess of Wessex was in Malta supporting 100 Women in Finance.
At another table, the American heard about hacking, which sees the Stemettes edit websites. “So you can change something untrue into something positive?” Meghan asked. “That’s so cool!”
Today ninety girls were given the opportunity by @stemettes to learn HTML coding, as well as how to build apps and touchpads. pic.twitter.com/OUMrMgtHoi
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 8, 2018
Harry and Meghan’s last joint visit was to Edinburgh but their last appearance was at the Royal Foundation Forum; in the intervening time, it is thought that Meghan has been baptised and confirmed into the Church of England.
Judith Armstrong, CEO of Millennium Point, said: “Being able to showcase the Stemettes event and the work of Millennium Point and its Trust to Prince Harry and Ms Markle on International Women’s day is a great honour.
Just 21% of those working in Core STEM occupations in 2016 are women; it is 13,000 more than last year – but there are 218,000 more men in Core STEM, which means a 1% drop in the percentage of women.
The couple were handed bags as they exited with the phrase “I am not just a bag, I am a Stemettes bag” written on them.
On the second stop of their visit to the city, the couple stopped off at Nechells Wellbeing Centre, the base for an apprenticeship scheme Coach Core, designed by the Royal Foundation, which is aimed at developing the next generation of sports coaches. It takes young people, aged between 16 and 24, from different backgrounds and putting them through a year-long course to develop their sporting abilities.
pince harry and meghan markle visit coach core in nechells, birmingham (kensington palace)
Four apprentices gave presentations – Kelly Hill, Elliott Rainbird, Ellie Edgington and Dave Sunburk – and Meghan and HArry involved themselves in a coaching session at the centre.
