New footage of Meghan Markle released before she married Prince Harry

New footage of the Duchess of Sussex has been released, before she became a member of the Royal Family.

Meghan Markle travelled to Delhi and Mumbai in January 2017 as part of a humanitarian visit with charity World Vision – just months after her relationship with Prince Harry was revealed.

The organisation aims to change the lives of the world’s poorest children.

The former actress previously visited Rwanda in 2016 to see first-hand the importance of clean water, but the focus of her 2017 trip was gender equality and girls’ access to education.

In the new video shot by World Vision and released by ITV, Meghan says: “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.”

The footage also shows Meghan, dressed in a khaki J. Crew jacket, watering flowers and painting with schoolchildren.

In an essay about period poverty for Time Magazine, published in March 2017, Meghan also spoke about her visit to Delhi and Mumbai.

She wrote: “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.”

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Meghan was a global ambassador for World Vision between from 2016 to 2017, but she has continued to highlight the importance of gender equality within her work as a member of the Royal Family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to welcome their first child within the coming weeks.