Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend Women of Vision awards in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first joint red carpet appearance since the coronation tonight, when they stepped out in New York City to attend a glittering gala, where the Duchess will be honored with a ‘Women of Vision’ award by her pal Gloria Steinem. 

The 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex was indeed a ‘vision’ as she arrived at the event, modeling a strapless $1,850 gold Johanna Ortiz dress that featured a key-hole cutout at the chest and which she paired with some strappy $1,350 gold heels from Tom Ford and a matching $1,100 clutch bag by Carolina Herrera.

She appeared to have had her dress – which was created by a Colombia-born designer – altered for the occasion; images of the original design show it with straps, which the Duchess opted to go without. 

Harry joined his wife Meghan at the awards ceremony – where tickets cost a whopping $1,500, while tables cost a minimum of $15,000 – to watch on as she receives a ‘Women of Vision’ honor from her close friend, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, with organizers revealing that the Duchess is being celebrated for her ‘lifelong advocacy for women and girls’. 

Meghan Markle put on a stunning display in strapless gold dress as she arrived at a glittering New York gala – where she will accept a ‘Women of Vision’ award from her pal Gloria Steinem

The Duchess of Sussex was joined at the event by her husband Prince Harry – and the couple posed for a few photos on the red carpet, although they opted to wait until the carpet’s livestream had ended before stepping in front of the cameras 

Meghan, 41, also posed for a solo shot, smiling happily for the cameras before making her way inside the awards ceremony 

The Sussexes were joined at the gala by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, who is understood to live with the couple in their $14.65 million mansion in Montecito, California 

Prince Harry attended the event with his wife and mother-in-law Doria Ragland and was seen following the two women into the event, after arriving at the venue in a large SUV 

Meghan, whose appearance at the event comes ten days after she skipped her father-in-law King Charles’ coronation ceremony, went full glam for the occasion, modeling a smoky eye and nude lip, while her long brunette hair was styled in loose waves that she wore swept over one shoulder – allowing the strapless design of her textured gown to shine. 

She added further glitz to the glam in the form of several pricey pieces of jewelry, including two diamond bracelets and a $7,350 gold Cartier Love Bracelet, as well as a pair of sparking hoop earrings from budget-friendly brand J. Crew. 

One of the glittering accessories on her wrist appeared to be a Cartier design that was once owned by Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, which the Duchess has been seen sporting on several occasions, including during the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021. 

The Duke of Sussex opted for his signature navy suit, which he wore with a white shirt and pale blue tie – while his mother-in-law Doria chose a more low-key black dress, accessorizing the look with some black slingback heels and a black clutch bag. 

While the Sussexes were seen beaming from ear-to-ear as they arrived at the event, they seemed keen to avoid any prying questions – opting to skip the event’s red carpet livestream after entering via the back of the Ziegfeld Ballroom. In a rather unglamorous start to the evening’s proceedings, the pair were seen making their way into the venue via a Hertz car rental arena located at the rear of the space. 

Meghan is however expected to speak during the ceremony, where she will be honored by activist Gloria, with whom she has formed a close friendship since the Sussexes’ moved to California following their decision to quit their royal roles in 2020. 

The Women of Vision website gushes that the mother-of-two is ‘a feminist, champion of human rights and gender equity, and global role model’. 

‘Meghan is also a passionate advocate for family rights, and an investor in dynamic female founded companies,’ the Duchess’ bio on the awards site continues. ‘Meghan is noted as one of the most powerful and influential women in the world, topping lists such as TIME Magazine’s Most Influential People, The Financial Times’ 25 Most Influential Women, Variety Power of Women, and British Vogue’s Vogue 25.’ 

The 41-year-old Duchess of Sussex was beaming from ear-to-ear as she arrived at the event, accompanied by Harry and her mother Doria (pictured left) 

Meghan, whose appearance at the event comes ten days after she skipped her father-in-law King Charles’ coronation ceremony, went full glam for the occasion, modeling a smoky eye and nude lip

The Duchess held a gold clutch in her hand and she sported several diamond bracelets on her wrist, as well as a $7,350 gold Cartier Love Bracelet

While the Sussexes were seen beaming from ear-to-ear as they arrived at the event, they seemed keen to avoid any prying questions – opting to skip the event’s red carpet livestream

Meghan will be honored at the event by her friend Gloria, 89, with whom she is understood to have formed a close bond since the Sussexes’ move to California following their decision to quit their royal roles in 2020 

‘We are thrilled to announce this year’s honorees for the Women of Vision Awards and to celebrate 50 years of progress and power,’ Teresa C. Younger, the president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation, said in a statement last month.

She added that Meghan, as well as the other award winners — including Black Lives Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown — ‘are incredible leaders, and we are grateful to be able to shine a light on their many accomplishments and tireless work on behalf of gender and racial equity across the country and the world.’

The Women of Vision Awards gala is designed to ‘explore the past, present and future of the Ms. Foundation and feminist movements, while raising funds for the organization’s strategic, equity-centered initiatives. 

‘Each year, the foundation honors visionary leaders and game-changing grantee partners committed to the Ms. Foundation’s mission of advancing women’s collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for all,’ a press release for the event stated.

The decision to honor Meghan at the event has certainly not been without its controversy – with several critics taking to social media to pan the awards ceremony organizers, Ms. Foundation, over its choice of recipient. 

‘Unlike fake organizations like @msfoundation creating awards to massage the egos of Hollywood fake celebrities and failed royals like #MeghanMarkle, true Awards are different as they celebrate TRUE HEROES. Ordinary, hardworking, people!’ one person wrote on Twitter. 

‘I had a subscription to Ms. Magazine when it came out. Today, I am forever done with Ms. And Gloria Steinem for bastardizing their foundation to allow these FAKE awards to be “bought” for a donation,’ a Facebook user commented on the awards show page. 

‘Case in point – Meghan Markle is the farthest thing from a feminist that I know of… That person is not a feminist… I hope the $$ was worth the bad press this will generate for you. You’re getting Markled!’

In a rather unglamorous start to the evening’s proceedings, the Sussexes made their way into the venue via a Hertz car rental counter located at the back of the building

Harry was seen following his wife and mother-in-law into the event after arriving at the venue in a large SUV, accompanied by several security guards 

Meghan’s appearance at the awards ceremony in New York comes amid what experts have described as her attempt to draw ‘all eyes on her’ following the Coronation on May 6. 

The awards ceremony comes days after Meghan and Harry enjoyed a sushi dinner alongside A-listers Cameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden, as well as Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Brad Falchuk on Friday night. 

Then yesterday, Meghan took part in a royal-style engagement at a Santa Barbara youth group, posing up for pictures alongside several young people who take part in the program. 

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline that Meghan has expertly used the focus on the Coronation and drawn it onto herself this week through appearances with Hollywood glitterati, young people and now an awards ceremony with a Black Lives Matter leader. 

He said: ‘Meghan has cleverly circumnavigated herself away from the Royal Family and Coronation scrutiny and got all eyes on her and what’s she’s doing next.

‘Meghan’s positioning herself as an inspirational figure, which she is to many, and she’s doing what she does best: highlighting causes whilst highlighting herself.

‘She’s also giving herself space from Harry to stand on her own two feet and be recognized not as a Duchess but as her own person, which she will be very happy about’.