Meghan and Harry kick off 2018 by visiting Brixton in south London to meet with representatives from Reprezent 107.3FM, a youth radio station that trains hundreds of young people in media and employment skills every year.
According to CEO and Founder, Harry and Meghan approached him three days before Christmas asking if they could come and see the station for themselves.
He said:
We didn’t invite them, they approached us just before Christmas. I was asked to give a major presentation the next day and have been working on this non-stop ever since,’ he said.
The reason they are coming is because we are aligned very closely to their interests, we do a lot of work around mental health. The whole model of Reprezent is peer mentoring, and I know that is something that really interests Prince Harry.
Represent came out of a community station and has been so successful that it has just eclipsed everything else. Represent is about giving young people a voice and confidence. And radio is probably the way to do it. There are so many jobs that you can do within radio – not just the obvious skills, but also getting on with people, turning your hands to all sorts of jobs.
A video of Meghan and Harry arriving in Brixton:
It’s been some busy days for Meghan and Harry; first with the Royal family at Sandringham before a romantic break to Monaco for the New Year. During an interview with the BBC radio program, Radio 4 Harry described his first Christmas with Meghan as “fantastic”
He said: “It was fantastic. She really enjoyed it. The family loved having her there. I think together we had an amazing time staying with my brother and sister-in-law. We were running around with the kids and Christmas was fantastic. I think we’ve got one the biggest families I know and every family is complex. She has done an absolutely amazing job, just getting in there and it’s the family, I suppose, that she’s never had.
He continued:
“As I said, we are really looking forward to the New Year and looking forward to 2018 because I’m determined to make sure that myself and the young generation and everybody else that this pendulum is going to swing”
Watch a clip below
Meghan’s commitment to becoming a full-time royal was clear when the Palace confirmed she will become the fourth patron of the Royal Foundation after the wedding. “She wants to spend this time learning about the UK,” Harry’s communications Secretary Jason Knauf said. “This is the country that’s going to be her home now and that means travelling around, getting to know the towns and cities and smaller communities.”
You’ll recall that Meghan and Harry carried out a successful day of engagements in Nottingham in early December.
Meghan and Harry arrived to tumultuous cheers in Brixton from the adoring crowd and Meghan beamed as she waved to people who had lined the streets.
They were greeted by local dignitaries when they arrived
Founded in 2003, Reprezent 107.3FM is the only radio station in the UK that is fully presented by young people under the age of 25. Reprezent 107.3FM has become a fast-rising force on London’s radio airwaves, since switching on and turning up. Reprezent 107.3FM is not only about the music, but they also actively campaigns on a range of issues affecting young people, such as domestic violence, unemployment, or global current affairs – all issues that is very close to Harry’s heart – and welcomes 250 young people a week to both volunteer and discuss social issues.
SW Londoner reports:
Station founder Shane Carey believes the Prince and Miss Markle are the perfect fit for Reprezent’s core values. He said: “The excitement internally and with the audience is great. I think from an organizational point of view it’s really good because we’ve been working with young people for years now in south and east London.
Harry’s massively interested in youth development, mentoring young people and everybody having a chance, and that’s exactly what we think. [Meghan] has been very vocal on women’s rights and we’ve got a 60-40 split female-male, we’ve always had more young girls apply than blokes, so I think that’ll be good for her.
Meghan and Harry had a great time visiting the radio station.
DailyMail reports:
Meghan confidently introduced herself, ‘Hi I’m Meghan, nice to meet you too’, followed by Harry, and added: ‘I hear your show is very popular. I can see why you are so popular; you are so thoughtful in your approach.’ DJ Glory told her that she first came into the station when she was 16 on work experience and explained how much she had learnt about not just radio but the music industry and media in general. ‘Reprezent is not just a place you go to work but it’s a family, anything you need they are here for you, they nurture you until you are ready and ripe,’ Glory said. ‘You’ll go onto Beat1….’ said Meghan. ‘And then there are three thousand people on the waiting list and it opens up a space for someone else to have the same experience. It’s amazing, it so cool,’ said Meghan, who had clearly studied her brief.
The couple then donned a pair of headphones each to listen to Glory talk through the next segment, but did not go on the air themselves. ‘How did you hear about Reprezent?’ asked Harry afterwards. ‘You are so professional. Anyone else would have got distracted. ‘ ‘It’s been so good to meet you,’ said Meghan, ‘good luck and take care, goodbye!’
A nice video
Meghan and Harry then went next door to meet with some other young people including volunteers, DJs, and those on the training program to hear about their experiences. They also met with DJ YV Shells who is studying to be a doctor and split his medical degree with his work at the station.
Like Meghan, he is a champion of women’s rights at the station and revealed that Meghan introduced herself to him and said she had heard about his passion for gender equality.
He said: ‘They were so cool, so down to earth. I couldn’t believe it when she spoke to me and said she had heard about my work on gender equality. It was beautiful if I am honest with you. I am firm believer in normal behavior when it comes to women, not special, just normal, which means respecting people. It spun me that she mentioned it. I was almost embarrassed as it doesn’t seems anything special to me. Just normal.’
The station manager Adrian had a very interesting question for Harry – he asked how many times harry had emailed President Obama to persuade him to be interviewed for his guest edit of Radio 4’s Today program.
Harry answered: ‘There wasn’t too many email exchanges, really. We both share a very similar outlook and the main purpose of that was let everybody know that young people in the world matter so much. Some of the world’s biggest problems that everyone is facing, whether it be in our community or on a global scale. If you get good minds together to be able to have that conversation and shine a light on the young people of today and what they are doing, then eventually the pendulum will swing and all of a sudden everyone under the age of 30 and all their ideas and creativity and connectivity will explode in a really good way.’
Harry also practiced a fist-bump handshake
Meghan and Harry went outside in Brixton for a walkabout after the 45-minutes long engagement, where Meghan was showered with flowers and cards as she shook hands with the crowd.
Meghan and Harry shook hands with two sisters names Grace and Olive White in Brixton. Grace was holding a bouquet of flowers when Harry approached her asking her if they were for Meghan. ‘Well, you had better hang on and give them to her yourself,’ he said when Grace said the flowers were for Meghan.
Meghan then came along and asked the girls where they were from, while Grace asked her if she was excited about the wedding.
Meghan replied: ‘Of course I am! And kind of squealed a little bit.’
Their mother Helen was also there and added: ‘She just couldn’t hide her excitement when Grace asked her. She was glowing.’
A video from the walkabout in Brixton
It’s only Meghan and Harry’s second engagement as an engaged couple, but Meghan has already shown us some fantastic pieces! Today, Meghan arrived in Brixton looking a little bit more laidback than we’ve seen her before (remember the Ralph & Russo gown in those engagement photos?).
Her coat was the Smythe Camel Brando Coat
Underneath the coat, Meghan wore the Burberry Wyhill Flared Trousers and the 5 Marks & Spencer Autograph Wool Blend Round Neck Bell Sleeve Jumper.
She teamed it up with a Jigsaw scarf and the Artizia Babaton Amos belt she wore in Nottingham.
She wore the Sarah Flint Jay Pumps.
Finally, she accessorized with her Les Plaisirs De Birks Gold Bar Earrings.
In other news, it was revealed today that Meghan has officially deleted her Instagram and Twitter profiles. Like, if you search for her profiles, they just straight-up won’t be there. Harry and William don’t have social media profiles – neither does Kate – so it’s plausible this is just royal protocol.
As for now – no further engagements are planned for Meghan and Harry before the wedding – but we will just have to wait and see.
xx