The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have appeared on stage in Manchester at a global summit for young leaders.

Meghan, who is giving a keynote address, and Harry are in the UK for the first time since the Platinum Jubilee.

The duchess, who was dressed in a vivid red high-necked sleek trouser suit, smiled and held hands with the duke as they made their way through the auditorium to huge cheers.

The couple sat centre stage on a bench together as they joined One Young World counsellors to watch the flag bearers enthusiastically parading the flags of more than 200 countries during the opening ceremony.

Meghan, with her hair in a ponytail, swayed in time to the music, which included Dancing In The Streets and Respect, as she clapped her hands.

Former Suits star Meghan’s speech on gender equality will be her first in-person address in the UK since quitting as a senior working royal amid the Megxit crisis more than two years ago.

Meghan is a counsellor for the organisation, and the summit brings together more than 2,000 young leaders from more than 190 countries.

The couple were also meeting a group of summit delegates doing “outstanding work on gender equality”, One Young World said.

The trip comes just days after Meghan’s controversial interview with The Cut magazine, in which she said it takes “a lot of effort” to forgive and hinted that she can “say anything”.

She said that “just by existing” she and Harry were “upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy” before they stepped down as senior working royals in 2020.

The couple travelled by train from London to Manchester, and flew commercial from the US to the UK.

Next stop for them will be Germany, for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year To Go event, which is taking place on Tuesday, before they return to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London, where Harry will deliver a speech on Thursday.