Meghan Markle makes red carpet appearance with Prince Harry in NYC© Getty Images

Meghan Markle makes red carpet appearance with Prince Harry in NYC

Find out what the Duchess of Sussex said on the red carpet


NOVEMBER 11, 2021 11:19 AM EST

 Meghan Markle  painted the Big Apple red on Wednesday evening. The Duchess of Sussex accompanied her husband  Prince Harry  to the Intrepid Museum’s Salute to Freedom Gala. The Suits alum, who welcomed her second child in June, made her grand return to the red carpet wearing a voluminous red gown by Carolina Herrera.

© Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the Salute to Freedom Gala in New York City on Nov. 10

The show-stopping dress was designed by Wes Gordon as part of the Carolina Herrera Pre-Fall 2022 Collection. Meghan completed her look with red Giuseppe Zanotti slingback heels and her hair up in a polished bun.

Harry looked dapper alongside his wife sporting a black suit and bow tie with four medals and the cross for Knight Commander of Royal Victorian Order. While on the carpet, Meghan was asked if she was proud of her husband, to which she replied, “I’m always proud of him.”

Harry, who served with the British Armed Forces for ten years, was on hand to present the inaugural Intrepid Valor Awards to five service members, veterans and military families living with the invisible wounds of war. Before welcoming the honorees to the stage, the Queen’s grandson delivered a speech.

© Getty Images

The Duchess of Sussex wore a Carolina Herrera gown to the event

“Good evening everybody, it’s wonderful to be back on USS Intrepid a decade after my last visit – and a lot has changed since then. Just last week, I went for a ride on the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile – how’s that for living the American dream!” he began (via  Harper’s Bazaar ).

In his remarks, the royal dad of two reflected on his time in the military. He said, “I served 10-years in the military, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan—one as an FAC on the ground and in the dust with some of you, another as an Apache helicopter pilot in the air supporting and talking with you. Nothing was more valuable than the time I got to spend with my soldiers in a shell scrape, eating an MRE in the back of a tank (thanks for the swaps), flying a mission overhead knowing those below were safer, or making each other laugh when it was needed the most. My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with – wherever in the world we were.”