How Meghan broke royal protocol with moving suffrage speech

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Pacific tour continues today in New Zealand, with the royal couple set to travel to a national park and enjoy a beach barbecue with local schoolchildren.

And last night Meghan gave another passionate public speech — but did she break royal protocol?

Meghan delivered a passionate speech about women's suffrage at a reception on the royal couple's first night in New Zealand.

New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote, a fact which Meghan told attendees made them "universally admired".

But the royal family is forbidden from discussing politics, a strict royal protocol that Meghan appears to have broken with this speech — and not for the first time.

Meghan has also used her voice to speak out on many other occasions about women's rights and equality.

"Suffrage is not simply about the right to vote but also about what that represents — the basic and fundamental human right of being able to participate in the choices for your future and that of your community; the involvement and voice that allows you to be a part of the very world that you are a part of," she said.

View this post on Instagram

🇳🇿 “Bravo New Zealand for championing this right 125 years ago - for the women who well deserve to have an active voice and acknowledged vote, and for all of the people that this effort has paved the way for globally." — The Duchess of Sussex, as she and The Duke joined PM @JacindaArdern for a reception hosted by @GovGeneralNZ Dame Patsy Reddy to celebrate the 125th anniversary of women's suffrage in New Zealand. #RoyalVisitNZ

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Oct 28, 2018 at 4:00am PDT

"And women's suffrage is not simply about the right to vote for women, but also about what that represents: the basic and fundamental human right of all people including those members of society who have been marginalised — whether for reasons of race, gender, ethnicity or orientation — to be able to participate in the choices for their future and their community.

"So bravo New Zealand, for championing this right 125 years ago for the women who well deserve to have an active voice and acknowledged vote and for all the people that this effort has paved the way for globally, we all deeply thank you.

"In the words of your suffragette, Kate Sheppard, 'All that separates, whether of race, class, creed or sex, is inhuman and must be overcome.'"