Meghan Markle's old saree-clad image is viral now

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle sported a sari and embraced traditional Indian culture, it has emerged in a never-before-seen footage of a trip she made back in January 2017.

The 37-year-old travelled to New Delhi and Mumbai shortly after her romance with Prince Harry went public as part of her work with the charity World Vision, reports dailymail.co.uk.

She was keen to highlight issues of gender equality and girls' limited access to education in the country.

At the time of her trip, news of her romance with Prince Harry had only just emerged.

During the trip, Markle visited schools and helped to paint a mural and plant a flower in the gardens.

She wore a sari with shades of blue and green and also sported a traditional tilak on her forehead.

While on a visit to the school, Markle said: "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."

She said some girls are forced to drop out of school because they don't have "bathrooms available to care for themselves".

During her trip, Markle took part in high level meetings with various NGOs, including an audience with Shamina Shafiq, a former member of the National Commission for Women.

She was also introduced to the Myna Mahila Foundation, which works with women and girls who live in Mumbai's urban slums. The members were also invited for the royal wedding in 2018.