Since touching down in South Africa, the Duchess of Sussex has put women's rights at the forefront of her work telling crowds in Cape Town on day one: "I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour, and as your sister. I am here with you and I am here for you."

Continuing her mission away from the media spotlight, the 38-year-old royal hosted a private breakfast with nine female activists on Thursday (September 26) to discuss the rights of women in South Africa.

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Over tea at the British high commissioner’s residence in Bishopscourt, the group of women, who ranged from professors and educators to parliamentarians, opened up about their struggles and plans for the future.

One of the guests included Sophia Williams-De Bruyn who was just 18-years-old when she led 20,000 women to march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in protest of apartheid pass laws back in 1956.

The couple's official Instagram account shared three images from the engagement alongside a note from the Duchess of Sussex which read: "In the lead up to this tour it weighed heavily on my heart to see the countless violations against women, and I wanted to spend my time on the ground learning about the situation at hand."

"In sitting down with these forward thinkers, it was abundantly clear - it is not enough to simply hope for a better future; the only way forward is 'hope in action'," she continued. "I'm eager to spend the next few days in South Africa continuing to learn, listen and absorb the resilience and optimism I’ve felt here."

For the meeting, the Duchess of Sussex dressed down in a simple black vest and £145 J. Crew striped skirt - which is still available to shop online.

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Shop the Duchess of Sussex's skirt

It's not the first private engagement the Duchess of Sussex has undertaken while on tour, as she quietly visited the post office where 19-year-old University of Cape Town student, Uyinene Mrwetyana, was raped and murdered last month following the breakfast meeting.

Paying her respects at the memorial, Meghan tied a yellow ribbon at the site emblazoned with words in the local language of Xhosa which translate to: "We stand together in this moment."

This evening, the Duke of Sussex will meet with a group of young women who attend secondary school with the help of UK Aid bursaries through the Campaign for Female Education.

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