Meghan sees community actors in National Theatre workshop

The Duchess of Sussex joined community actors at the National Theatre as she made her first official visit to the institution since becoming its patron.

Meghan, a former actress, watched as people from neighbourhoods across London took part in a workshop in a rehearsal space.

The duchess, who is heavily pregnant, was greeted by Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, who held a private meeting with her in December ahead of the patronage announcement earlier this month.

Meghan has an affinity with the National Theatre after spending a decade working as an actress in television, where she was best known for her role in the hit US legal drama series Suits, playing paralegal-turned-lawyer Rachel Zane.

She also has a theatre background having studied at Northwestern University, Illinois, and volunteered at a performing arts after-school programme for children in underprivileged school districts in Los Angeles.

The American-born duchess is a strong believer in using the arts to bring people from different backgrounds and communities together, and her views chime with the National Theatre’s ethos of producing world-class theatre with the aim of being as inclusive, diverse and national as possible.