Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sign with same speaking agency as Obamas and Clintons

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will deliver speeches on topics including gender equality and mental health

(Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed with the same speaking agency that represents the Obamas and the Clintons as the couple continues to forge careers independent of the royal family.

Since formally stepping down as working members of the royal family on 31 March, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have taken part in several engagements, some of which took place over video during lockdown.

On Tuesday 23 June, the couple joined Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles to help prepare food for people in need during the pandemic, having recently moved to the City of Angels from Canada.

As the duke and duchess look forward to the future, they are expected to continue taking part in moderated discussions and delivering speeches at events.

A representative for the Sussexes confirmed to The Independent that they have signed with Harry Walker Agency, a speaking agency based in New York.

On the website for Harry Walker Agency, it states: “Since 1946, we have partnered with events planners around the globe and have connected them with the world’s most important voices.”

The agency boasts several high-profile individuals on its site, including Hillary and Bill Clinton, Michelle and Barack Obama, Tina Fey, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Venus Williams and Shaquille O’Neal.

In their future speeches, Meghan and Prince Harry will discuss topics including racial justice, gender equality, the environment and mental health, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Before announcing their decision to step away from royal duties, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex already made an effort to publicly speak out on social issues.

On October 2018, shortly after announcing she was pregnant, Meghan delivered a speech in New Zealand about women’s suffrage and feminism.

Prince Harry has spoken openly about mental health for years, recently launching a tool called HeadFit to help military personnel cope with mental health issues.

In May, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex crashed a mental health charity Zoom call, speaking to workers at Crisis Text Line in Atlanta.

Last year, they joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in launching Crisis Text Line’s UK affiliate, Shout, a 24/7 text service that puts those in need of support in touch with trained volunteers.

Earlier this month, Meghan spoke out over the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, US.

In a virtual address to graduating students at her former high school, the duchess described the recent events concerning police brutality against black people in the US as “absolutely devastating”.

“I wanted to say the right thing. I realised the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing because George Floyd’s life mattered and Breonna Taylor’s life mattered and Philando Castile’s life mattered and Tamir Rice’s life mattered,” the former actor said.

“We’re seeing people stand in solidarity, we are seeing communities come together and to uplift. You are going to be part of this movement.”