Meghan Markle as you’ve never seen her before

The Duchess of Sussex travelled to Delhi and Mumbai in 2017, shortly after her romance with Prince Harry became public.

Meghan Markle wears traditional dress on a humanitarian visit to India in unseen footage taken shortly after her romance with Harry became public.

The Duchess of Sussex travelled to Delhi and Mumbai in 2017 to raise the issue of gender equality and highlight problems with girls’ access to education, The Sun reports.

Meghan Markle in an unseen video from 2017 for World Vision. Picture: World Vision/ITV

She embarked on the trip with World Vision, a charity that works to change the lives of the world’s poorest children, a year before she married Harry.

Meghan meets with local students. Picture: World Vision/ITV

The never-before-seen footage shows Meghan address the camera in traditional dress, saying: “What we found is that the enrolment at this school went up three times once the latrines were built so that girls had access to clean hygiene and bathroom facilities while they’re at school.”

EMPOWERING MEGHAN

She opted for a traditional Indian sari for her visit. Picture: World Vision/ITV

She also revealed some girls were forced to drop out of school because there were no “bathrooms available to care for themselves”, ITV reveals.

Meghan also got her hands dirty, as she painted a mural with students, and beamed as she helped them plant and water a flower outside.

The former actress, who is expecting her first child with Harry, can also be seen in the empowering footage shouting “girl power” during a dance performance.

She took the trip with World Vision. Picture: World Vision/ITV

She was introduced to the Myna Mahila Foundation, which works with women and girls in Mumbai’s urban slums.

The charity was one of seven Harry and Meghan nominated for donations when they tied the knot last year.

Meghan took part in local customs during the visit. Picture: World Vision/ITV

‘GIRLS DROP OUT OF SCHOOL’

When she returned, she wrote a piece for Time Magazine about her experiences and said: “I travelled to Delhi and Mumbai this January with World Vision to meet girls and women directly impacted by the stigmatisation of menstrual health and to learn how it hinders girls’ education.

On the trip, she learned how menstrual health still hinders girls’ education. Picture: World Vision/ITV

“One hundred and thirteen million adolescent girls between the ages of 12-14 in India alone are at risk of dropping out of school because of the stigma surrounding menstrual health.

“During my time in the field, many girls shared that they feel embarrassed to go to school during their periods, ill equipped with rags instead of pads, unable to participate in sports, and without bathrooms available to care for themselves, they often opt to drop out of school entirely.”

Meghan meets with local women. Picture: World Vision/ITV

Meghan is still a powerful advocate for female empowerment and education and previously gave an emotional speech about the importance of allowing young women access to higher education.

She is also the royal patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Meghan is due to give birth to her first child any time now, but mystery still surrounds her official due date.

The Sun revealed how feminist Meghan wanted a female doctor to deliver the baby after taking inspiration from close pal Amal Clooney.

Meghan Markle, humanitarian. Picture: World Vision/ITV

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission