Prince Harry, Meghan visit One World Observatory in New York City

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(NEW YORK) -- Prince Harry and Meghan kicked off their visit to New York City Thursday by visiting the city's highest point.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made an early morning visit to One World Observatory inside the One World Trade Center, the tallest building not only in New York City but also in the United States.

The Sussexes were joined at the observatory, the focal point of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex, by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, along with his wife, Chirlane McCray, and their son, Dante.

Harry and Meghan's trip to New York City is their first joint public trip since they moved to California last year.

It is also the first live public appearance Meghan has made since giving birth to their second child, daughter Lilibet, in June.

On Saturday, Harry and Meghan are scheduled to take part in Global Citizen Live, an annual concert event held on the Great Lawn in Central Park.

The Sussexes will appear at the concert to promote vaccine equity around the world in the fight against COVID-19.

Harry and Meghan were co-chairs in May of "Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World," an international COVID-19 vaccination effort organized by Global Citizen.

Earlier this month, Prince Harry gave an impassioned speech at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, pleading with governments and pharmaceutical companies to do more to vaccinate the world.

“Until every community can access the vaccine, and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk,” he said, while adding about misinformation campaigns that are adding to vaccine hesitancy, "This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome COVID-19 and the rise of new variants."

The Sussexes were recently featured on Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list, in which they were applauded for starting "essential conversations on topics from mental health to misinformation."

The TIME cover portrait featuring the Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked the first time the couple has formally posed together for a magazine cover shoot.

Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 9:20AM by Katie Kindelan, ABC News Permalink