The Duchess of Sussex was rushed out of a busy market in Fiji amid fears over "crowd management issues".
The 37-year-old royal – who recently announced she’s expecting her first child – made a visit to the venue on Wednesday (24.10.18) in order to learn more about a UN Women project called Markets for Change, but after just eight minutes, her security team decided to rush the Duchess out of the crowded area.
Initially, the Palace claimed that the decision was taken because of "uncomfortable conditions" – but later, it was conceded that "crowd management issues" was the reason behind the abrupt exit.
Despite this, the Duchess – who was known as Meghan Markle prior to her marriage in May – still managed to meet the four women she’d originally intended to.
Meanwhile, in her first speech on the royals’ ongoing tour, the Duchess stressed the value of education and also spoke of her own struggle to afford to attend university.
The former ‘Suits’ actress – who attended Northwestern University in the US – said that the "journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one".
She continued: "I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world – myself included.
"It was through scholarships, financial aid programmes and work-study – where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition – that I was able to attend university. And, without question, it was worth every effort.
"Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital."
Duchess of Sussex rushed from market amid ‘crowd management fears’
