Meghan Markle smiling, wearing a gold dress at the Women of Vision Awards© Getty

Meghan Markle misses Gracie Awards in Beverly Hills

The Duchess of Sussex won a Gracie award for her Archetypes podcast

Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
May 24, 2023

The Duchess of Sussex was honoured at an awards bash on Tuesday night, but was not present at the event in Beverly Hills.

Meghan, 41, won a Gracie award for her Archetypes podcast, which debuted last year.

The Gracie Awards are presented by the Alliance of Women in Media Foundation to celebrate programming that was created by women for women. The Duchess was named as the Best Podcast Host for her series, which aimed to "dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back" over the course of 12 episodes.

Following the announcement in March, Meghan said: "Thank you to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for this prestigious honor. This is a shared success for me and the team behind Archetypes – most of whom are women – and the inspiring guests who joined me each week."

Winners were commemorated at the gala at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. A separate luncheon will be held for local and student winners at the Cipriani in New York City on June 20.

It comes just a week after the Duchess received the Ms Foundation's Women of Vision Award, recognising her "global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls".

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Meghan and Prince Harry attended the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards together

Meghan's mother Doria was also in attendance

Meghan attended the awards in New York along with her husband, Prince Harry, and her mother, Doria Ragland. See their arrival in the clip below...

WATCH: Meghan and Harry make very unusual entrance at Ms. Foundation Awards

Wowing in a gold strapless dress by Johanna Ortiz, the Duchess said in her acceptance speech: "It’s never too late to start.

"You can be the visionary of your own life… There is still so much work to be done. I am a woman who remains inspired and driven by this organisation.

"It allowed me to recognise that part of my greater value and purpose in life was to advocate for those who felt unheard, to stand up to injustice, and to not be afraid of saying what is true and what is just and what is right."

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Meghan onstage with Gloria Steinem and Teresa Younger during the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards

© Getty

Meghan made an acceptance speech

However, it was revealed the following day after the awards, Meghan, Harry and Doria, were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase".

The couple's spokesperson said: "Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.

"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.

"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety.

"Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved."

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry leave The Ziegfeld Theatre

© Getty

Meghan wowed in a gold strapless dress at the awards

There have been various statements surrounding the incident, including from the New York Police Department, which deployed officers to help escort the Duke and Duchess said "numerous photographers" had "made their transport difficult".

The statement added there were "no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests".

Meanwhile, a taxi driver who claimed to have carried the Sussexes for part of the journey told The Washington Post: "I don’t think I would call it a chase. I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn't like a car chase in a movie. They were quiet and seemed scared but it's New York – it's safe."

Meanwhile, photo agency Backgrid has spoken out against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's claims but added: "We are taking Prince Harry's allegations seriously and will be conducting a thorough investigation into the matter."

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