Meghan Markle Just Made A Major Step Forward In Her New Role As Duchess

The Duchess of Sussex is wasting no time in getting involved in her new royal life. According to a report from People, she's getting involved in a major way. Meghan Markle joined the Royal Foundation as a patron, per the publication. The organization already counts the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex as patrons, so clearly Markle will be in great company.

On Tuesday, People reported that the Duchess is now officially a patron of the Royal Foundation, which would be the first official patronage that she's taken on. Because of her involvement with the organization, the full name of it has since been renamed to The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, according to the official register in the U.K. Whew, that's a bit of a mouthful. Even so, it's still so incredibly exciting to see Markle fully included in the royal family fold in this way.

While this move is so exciting, it's actually not that surprising. Kensington Palace previously announced in February via Twitter that the former Suits actor would become a part of the foundation upon her marriage to Prince Harry. Following the royal couple's May 19 wedding, Markle can not only call herself Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, but she can also call herself a patron of the Royal Foundation, just like her husband and in-laws.

According to the official site for the organization, Harry and Prince William established it in 2009. However, it didn't become fully operational until 2011, when Kate Middleton joined as a patron following her marriage to William. The programs of their collective patronage revolve around four key areas: the armed forces community, wildlife and conservation, young people, and mental health.

One of the foundation's biggest projects is their Heads Together initiative. The campaign was launched in May 2016 by the royals, per the organization's official website. The main goal is to end the stigma around mental health in the country. Heads Together has published many different projects relating back to its cause, such as a discussion video between the Duke of Cambridge and Lady Gaga and a mental health minute that took over radio stations around the U.K. in May.

According to Markle, she's excited about being involved in the Heads Together initiative and the many others within the Royal Foundation. During the first official forum for the organization, she even joined her then soon-to-be family for a discussion about their various causes.

The event was titled "Making A Difference Together" and the group's "togetherness" was on full display during the occasion. When the princes joked around about how working with family does have challenges, with all of the different opinions involved, Markle replied with, "Togetherness at its finest," according to People.

At the event, she also expressed how excited she was to really embrace her royal role. She said that she's going to "hit the ground running" in reference to her eagerness to work on women's empowerment initiatives in the U.K., per CNN. Since she's already been named a patron for the Royal Foundation, it really does appear that she's all about her new royal duties.

Markle previously related in her engagement interview with Harry that she was looking forward to getting to know the different communities in the U.K., and, in particular, the ones who are "working on the same causes that I have always been passionate about." Thanks to her new role as a patron for the Royal Foundation, the Duchess of Sussex can now get right to work on all of the causes she holds dear.