Prince Harry and Meghan Markle held hands as they kicked off their first public event since quitting as senior royals with a surprise appearance in New York City.
The couple were due to be in Big Apple this weekend to appear at the 24-hour star-studded global TV event Global Citizen Live in Central Park on Saturday.
Making the most out of their journey, they today visited the city's highest building - the One World Trade Center, built on the site of the former World Trade Center, and its One World Observatory.
They arrived hand-in-hand with Meghan dressed in an all black outfit including what is thought to be an Emporio Armani coat, with matching black Aquazzura heels and her hair tied back off her face in a bun. Harry also wore a black suit
They met with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife Chirlane McCray and their son, Dante. They also met with New York governor Kathy Hochul.
It's not yet known what they discussed during their morning meeting. It's thought their sombre-looking outfits were chosen as they visited the 9/11 memorial afterwards.
As they posed for pictures on the observation deck, Meghan was asked if she was enjoying her visit to New York and she replied: "It's wonderful to be back, thank you."
Once the meeting was over, Harry and Meghan clutched each other's hands as they walked to the 9/11 Memorial nearby.
There they could be seen reflecting next to one of the memorial pools and looking at the names of some of those killed in the 9/11 terror attacks 20 years ago that are inscribed in the pools.
After paying their respects, it is reported that the couple then went to the 9/11 Museum, where they spent some time inside before leaving.
The engagement is the first time Meghan has been seen in public since giving birth to daughter Lilibet in June while the trip also marks the couple's first-ever joint visit to New York City.
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Page Six reports Meghan and Harry are believed to have travelled to New York alone and their children two-year-old Archie and three-month-old Lilibet are staying at home in California.
The couple will stay on in NYC until at least Saturday when they will appear at the Global Citizen Live event in Central Park.
At the event, they will "continue their urgent work with world leaders in the pursuit of global vaccine equity to end the COVID-19 pandemic for everyone, everywhere".
The event organisers call them "two of the strongest voices on vaccine equity".
Both Harry and Meghan have spoken out about vaccine equity in the past and in May, Harry made an appearance at Vax Live - a concert in California to promote the sharing of vaccines.
The couple has also previously written an open letter to the chief executives of pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca urging them to redouble their support for the UN-sponsored Covax vaccine equity programme.
Meghan was last in New York in early September 2019, when she travelled to the city to support her friend Serena Williams in the US Open at Flushing Meadow.
Harry's last trip there was in 2013 when he toured areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy.
The trip to New York comes after the couple was named in TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in 2021 last week.
The magazine praised the pair for having "compassion for the people they don't know", and added: "They don't just opine. They run towards the struggle."
Harry and Meghan, who said they are "humbled" to be on the list, appeared in the magazine alongside a short profile of them by chef José Andrés, a founder of the World Central Kitchen charity.
He told TIME : "Springing into action is not the easy choice for a young duke and duchess who have been blessed through birth and talent, and burned by fame. It would be much safer to enjoy their good fortune and stay silent.
"That’s not what Harry and Meghan do, or who they are. They turn compassion into boots on the ground through their Archewell Foundation. They give voice to the voiceless through media production.
"Hand in hand with nonprofit partners, they take risks to help communities in need—offering mental-health support to Black women and girls in the U.S., and feeding those affected by natural disasters in India and the Caribbean."