One Young World: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending opening ceremony of global youth event in Manchester

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be in Manchester to attend the opening ceremony of One Young World, a massive summit bringing youth leaders from around the globe to the city.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be in the city in early September as the huge event which will be attended by delegates from some 190 countries gets under way, with the Duchess making a key speech.

It is not the first time that she has visited or addressed an One Young World event, as she has been supporting the organisation in a formal role for several years.

The couple are just two of the high-profile names who will be in Manchester for the summit, with other guests including politicians, activists and well-known figures from the arts world.

Why are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex coming to Manchester and when?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been announced as high-profile guests for the opening ceremony of the One Young World Summit for 2022 in Manchester.

The Duchess will give the keynote address at The Bridgewater Hall in the city on 5 September as the conference bringing together young leaders from all over the world starts.

The couple will also meet with a group of delegates working on gender equality.

The Duchess has been a One Young World Counsellor since 2014. Counsellors are high-profile leaders who share their insights and use their spotlight to inspire the community of young leaders to take action.

In 2019, as well as attending the One Young World opening ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London, The Duchess hosted a roundtable for gender equality activists at Windsor Castle at which the Duke was also present.

She has also continued to work with and support a number of people who have attended One Young World’s global conferences, particularly those working for equal rights for women and girls.

What has been said about the Duke and Duchess attending?

One Young World co-founders, David Jones and Kate Robertson, said: “The Duchess of Sussex has been a truly amazing supporter of One Young World for the past eight years.

“It has been inspiring to see her continue to champion young leaders in our community, both in public and behind the scenes.

“We are so grateful for her ongoing support and can’t wait to welcome The Duke and Duchess to Manchester in September.”

What else has been said about One Young World?

One Young World is a global charity that aims to develop young leaders who are table to take action to solve the world’s biggest challenges.

The annual One Young World Summit gathers 2,000 young leaders from around 190 countries and different sectors to inspire and empower them to build a fairer and more sustainable world.

After they have attended a summit the young people become One Young World Ambassadors and are funded, mentored and supported to accelerate change in their communities.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, One Young World has distributed more than $1.5 million to young leaders’ initiatives around the world.

The Duchess is not the only high-profile Counsellor who has been supporting the charity’s Ambassadors who will be in Manchester in September.

Others who have said they are coming to the city include former Irish head of state and climate justice advocate President Mary Robinson, musician and activist Sir Bob Geldof, USA Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad, and oceanographer and author Professor Sylvia Earle.