Meghan Markle’s first royal speech nearly went off the rails — and cameras caught EVERYTHING.” Just three months after announcing her engagement to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle stepped onto the stage for her very first duty as a working royal… and instantly stumbled. At the 2018 Endeavour Fund Awards, the soon-to-be Duchess confidently began her lines — then suddenly froze and fluffed the script, creating an awkward split second that sent a ripple through the room. What happened next, though, is what insiders still whisper about: the quiet remark Meghan made backstage to the staff member blamed for the mishap. Polite on the surface — but telling, depending on who you ask”

Just three months after it was announced that Meghan Markle had become engaged to Prince Harry, the soon-to-be-Duchess of Sussex encountered her first taste of life as a working royal – and it proved a rather awkward moment.

Appearing at the esteemed 2018 Endeavour Fund Awards, which seeks to recognise the achievements of wounded army personnel, Meghan’s first major moment in the spotlight was almost thrown into complete disarray when she ‘fluffed’ her lines onstage.

As Meghan headed to the stage at London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall to co-present a Celebrating Excellence Award with the previous winner, a man named Neil Heritage, the royal-in-waiting oozed confidence and expressed how ‘truly privileged’ she felt to be there.

Meghan began: ‘The second prize of the evening is awarded to an individual who has endeavoured to achieve excellence in their chosen sport or adventures challenge.’

The future Duchess then handed the microphone over to Mr Heritage, a British Army veteran, who unfortunately struggled to find the next line in the all-important script.

Yet Meghan handled the awkward interaction like a true pro, smiling brightly and laughing sweetly to keep the audience at ease, while Mr Heritage quipped: ‘Who organised the notes?’

Fortunately, Meghan, now 44, was eventually able to spot the next line and swiftly moved to the side to allow Mr Heritage to continue his speech.

Five years later, the truth behind the seeming confusion was finally revealed: David Wiseman, Director of the Invictus Games Foundation, shared during an interview that he had ‘messed up’ by giving the future Duchess the ‘wrong script’.

At the esteemed 2018 Endeavour Fund Awards, Meghan’s vital appearance was almost thrown into complete disarray when she ‘fluffed’ her lines onstage. However, the Duchess-to-be (pictured with previous winner Neil Heritage) handled it like a true professional
At the esteemed 2018 Endeavour Fund Awards, Meghan’s vital appearance was almost thrown into complete disarray when she ‘fluffed’ her lines onstage. However, the Duchess-to-be (pictured with previous winner Neil Heritage) handled it like a true professional

Speaking on HELLO! Magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast with hosts Andrea Caamano and Emmy Griffiths in 2023, the former army captain detailed his mishap before Meghan’s first public speech as the future Duchess of Sussex.

‘I was writing the scripts and there was a last-minute request for a change from her team. But she got the old version, and the new version was sent to her co-host,’ he said.

‘I don’t know if you remember, they were both sort of not arguing, but saying “No, this is the version,” and so there was a fluff of the lines in front of everybody on her first opening speech as the [future] Duchess of Sussex.’

Joking that he ‘died a little bit inside,’ Mr Wiseman added: ‘I was just sitting there in the front row, sitting next to Harry just like, almost head in hands, going “Oh, oh, just, just skip it, just skip it, move on, move on, move on”.’

Mr Wiseman, who first crossed paths with Prince Harry and his brother William during their time at Sandhurst, added that in a state of panic he had sent Meghan an apologetic text message afterwards.

However, the soon-to-be Duchess responded calmly and assured him via text message that he should not be concerned with the error.

‘Meghan jumped on the text, “David, it’s M, honestly, really really, don’t worry about it”. She was just so kind,’ recalled Mr Wiseman.

The Duke of Sussex, now 41, established The Endeavour Fund in 2012 when he was patron of The Royal Foundation – alongside William and Kate.

Designed to help finance inspiring sporting and adventure projects aiding the recovery of veterans, the fund is particularly poignant for the prince, given he once served with the British Army’s Blues and Royals and the Army Air Corps.