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Prince Harry Gets Back to Official Duties 2 Days After Agreement for Exit from Royal Family

Prince Harry stepped out to continue with his royal duties on Monday, just two days after he and Meghan Markle reached a final agreement for their exit from a front line role with the royal family.

The prince, 35, took part in meetings with leaders from three countries at the U.K.-Africa Investment Summit in London.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry, who has a deep connection to Africa and the concerns of the continent, met with HE Saadeddine Othmani, the prime minister of Morocco, HE Arthur Peter Mutharika, president of Malawi, and HE President Filipe Nyusi, president of Mozambique. The leaders are attending the summit, which is working to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa, and highlight the U.K.’s commitment to supporting economic development.

During the summit, Harry also privately met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

RELATED: Prince Harry Speaks of ‘Great Sadness’ After Agreement with Queen Elizabeth About Royal Exit

Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images
Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images
Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images
Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images

Over more than two decades, Harry has set up a charity — Sentebale — that helps young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, he’s carried out conversation work and made links with those tackling environmental challenges. The prince also visited Angola to see the legacy of his mother Princess Diana, who did so much to raise awareness of the threat posed by landmines in Africa.

His morning of meetings came after a weekend of drama in which Queen Elizabeth announced the result of talks within the family for how Harry and wife Meghan can lead “a more independent life.” Shortly after, Harry spoke of his “sadness” at stepping back.

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“Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to serve,” Harry told supporters of his charity Sentebale on Sunday evening.

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Shutterstock

“The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back, is not one I made lightly. It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven’t always gotten it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you.”

He said he had wanted to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth and his military regiments, without public funding but had been told that this was not possible.

Later on Monday, Harry’s brother Prince William and Kate Middleton will host a reception at Buckingham Palace, along with Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex and Princess Anne.