Kate Middleton and Prince William Host Buckingham Palace Reception Amid Meghan and Harry's Exit

Prince William and Kate Middleton are on palace hosting duty tonight!

The royal couple held a reception at Buckingham Palace on Monday on behalf of Queen Elizabeth to mark the U.K.-Africa Investment Summit, taking place in London.

Kate wore the Aurora Sequin Gown by Needle & Thread in red for the event, hemmed to a midi length. (Princess Beatrice is also a fan of the brand, having worn one of their dresses for her engagement party in December.) She completed the look with her signature bouncy blowout and matching red heels.

In his speech, William offered some personal words about the couple’s personal connection to the region.

“The African continent holds a very special place in my heart,” said the royal dad, 37. “It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died. And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.”

Accompanying William and Kate were Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who was celebrating her 55th birthday. Edward, who is Prince Charles’ younger brother, and his wife are considered full-time working senior royal family members, and they often take on official royal duties on behalf of the Queen. The Queen’s daughter Princess Anne was also in attendance.

The palace reception saw the royals welcome heads of state and government, their spouses or partners, delegates members of U.K. government and U.K. and African business figures to mark the U.K.-Africa Investment Summit.

“The summit will demonstrate the strength of the relationship between the U.K. and Africa, showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa, and highlight the U.K.’s commitment to supporting economic development in Africa, including through the creation of jobs and new partnerships,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

The Summit is meant to demonstrate the strength of the relationship between the U.K. and Africa, showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa and highlight the U.K.’s commitment to supporting economic development in Africa.

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Earlier in the day, Prince Harry stepped out to continue with his royal duties, 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 35-year-old royal took part in meetings with leaders from three countries at the U.K.-Africa Investment Summit.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince 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.

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Meanwhile, Prince William entertained the Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda and and Presidnet Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana at Buckingham Palace earlier in the day.

Up in Scotland, where he is staying, Prince Charles hosted Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria.