Duke and Duchess of Sussex visit county that inspired their royal titles
Harry and Meghan had a busy day of engagements in Sussex, examining a rare copy of the American Declaration of Independence.
Wednesday 3 October 2018 23:13, UK
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have visited the county that inspired their royal titles.
Harry and Meghan had a busy day of engagements on their first joint official visit to Sussex on Wednesday.
They were welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd that gathered to see the couple kick off their tour in Chichester, the county town of West Sussex.
The duke and the US-born former actress saw a rare copy of the American Declaration of Independence at Edes House.
It is one of only two contemporary handwritten ceremonial manuscript copies.
The other is held at the National Archives in Washington DC.
Meghan reflected on the document being in Sussex, saying: "My goodness, wow, what are the chances? That's amazing."
The couple were greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex, Susan Pyper, and mayor of Chichester Martyn Bell, but spent most of their time speaking to crowds, including a large number of schoolchildren who had turned out to catch a glimpse of the royals.
The duke and duchess were both visibly delighted at meeting the children.
Meghan greeted one child who was held up to the barriers, while Harry patted the head of a baby.
Nine-year-old Tilly Palmer told reporters about her exchange with the duchess.
She said: "Meghan asked me what we were doing today. I said netball, and she said they don't have that in the USA.
"We said: 'Welcome to Sussex', and she shook our hands. She was lovely and very pretty."
Harry and Meghan also visited Bognor Regis, where they officially opened the University of Chichester's Engineering and Digital Technology Park.
The duke and duchess stopped to watch an experiment in one of the laboratories and listened to the students play a piece from Vivaldi's Four Seasons while technology students filmed and recorded the performance.
The pair went on to greet more members of the public outside the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
Meghan was wearing a camel Armani coat, a dark green Hugo Boss skirt and a shirt from & Other Stories paired with nude suede stilettos and a small green bag.
Harry was dressed in a grey suit and white shirt.