AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex urged women to be the "visionary of [their] own life" as she received a prestigious award on Tuesday night, May 16. The 41-year-old duchess accepted the Women of Vision award at a gala ceremony in New York City for her "lifelong advocacy for women and girls" and Meghan used her acceptance speech to offer words of encouragement to young women.

"It's just never too late to start. You can be the visionary of your own life," Meghan told the crowd when taking the stage at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.

The former actress - who was joined at the event by her husband Prince Harry and mother Doria Ragland - also encouraged women to help make the world a more "equitable" place.

She said, "You can charter a path in which what you repeat in your daily acts of service, in kindness, in advocacy, in grace and in fairness, that those become the very things that are recognised by the next wave of women, both young and old, who will also choose this moment to join the movement, and make our vision for an equitable world, reality."

The glitzy gala was hosted by the Ms. Foundation for Women - a non-profit organisation for women in the US – and, during her acceptance speech, the former "Suits" actress recalled reading Ms. Foundation's Ms. Magazine during her younger years.

Meghan - who has Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, 23 months, with Harry - shared, "I remember them vividly because the pictures were different. There was a diversity that I hadn't seen as often, both of colour and of age, and the names were different."

"There were Congresswomen, there were astronauts, and the topics were different. From mothering, to being a working mom, to heavier topics such as domestic violence, the poverty line, unearthing its roots, where it comes from, and matters of equity."