Broadcaster Kirsty Young joins Harry and Meghan’s charity

Broadcaster Kirsty Young has joined the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s charitable foundation as a director.

Young, who is best known as the former host of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, is also President of Unicef.

It is understood that the respected presenter is a trusted friend of Harry and Meghan’s and was the first person the couple asked to join their new Sussex Royal charity.

Schedules meant the official paperwork has only now been completed and the documentation processed at Companies House.

Young is listed in the official records under her married name Kirsty Jackson Jones.

She is joining Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor, Steven Cooper and Karen Blackett as a trustee.

The former Five News anchor first presented the BBC castaway programme 12 years ago but had a spell away from it in 2018 after being diagnosed with a form of fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.

She stepped down permanently in the summer, saying she had decided it was time to pursue new challenges.

Harry and Meghan established their own foundation earlier this year after splitting from their joint charity with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

It followed reports of a rift, first between Kate and Meghan, then between future king William and his younger brother Harry.

The Sussexes have focused on choosing directors who share their values and their vision of what they want to achieve through their charity work.