She encouraged the women in the audience to help to create an “equitable world” with “kindness, in advocacy, in grace, and in fairness”. 

Dressed in a £1,500 Johanna Ortiz dress, £1,000 Tom Ford stilettos and a matching £900 Carolina Herrera bag, the Duchess walked on stage to Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys. 

She thanked Gloria Steinem, 89, for her “incredible friendship” and “mentorship” as she accepted the award.

“While I was familiar with most of your work before tonight, nothing could compare to the focus, the determination, the energy I feel from each of you, especially as we all bear witness to you standing in the elegance and the power of your strength”, she said.