Duchess of Sussex visits National Theatre: in pictures

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle visited the National Theatre today in her first official visit as the royal patron of the venue.

Her Royal Highness saw some of the work the NT is doing across the UK with communities and schools and heard more about training opportunities for backstage careers.

The Duchess was welcomed to the National Theatre by artistic director, Rufus Norris, executive director Lisa Burger and chair Damon Buffini before joining a workshop with members of the Public Acts company led by Public Acts director Emily Lim.

Norris said: "It has been a pleasure to welcome The Duchess of Sussex to the National Theatre today for her first official visit as our Royal Patron. The Duchess shares our belief that theatre has the power to bring together people from all communities and walks of life so it has been wonderful to introduce her to members of the Public Acts company today.

"The Duchess also heard more about our work outside of London across the country as we continue to build on our national work through our tours and learning programmes. We very much look forward to working closely with Her Royal Highness in the years to come and sharing more of our work with her."