The fab royal four
In advance of her May wedding, Meghan Markle is already winning fans as the new recruit to the young royals’ charity foundation,
They’ve been dubbed “the fab four” – a nickname coined in the ’60s for The Beatles, the greatest pop phenomenon and most potent influencer of youth culture in the 20th century. More than 50 years later Wills, Kate, Harry and his soon-to-be bride Meghan Markle are driving a youth movement of their own with their smart combination of accessibility
– not a quality the royal family is known for – and targeted charity initiatives hand-picked to represent their individual interests.
They make a powerful team and as they proved last month at their Royal Foundation Forum, a new annual event to showcase the work of the philanthropic venture set up by brothers William and Harry in
2011, they’re engaging and fun, too.
When asked about the difficulties of working with family and if there were any disagreements, William laughed, replying “yes” emphatically. And Harry joked, “they come so thick and fast. Working as family does have its challenges ... But we’re stuck together for the rest of our lives!”
The Forum’s theme of “Making a Difference Together” was on display in spades as the next royal generation gave a clear indication of how they plan to evolve the monarchy, united.
Traditionally royals have worked either solo or with their spouses, with joint appearances saved for big occasions like Trooping the Colour. So this task force quartet from Kensington Palace is certainly breaking new ground. Also, the panel discussion was something we’ve never seen from the royal family.
Broadly, the Royal Foundation’s charities fall into five areas: the armed forces, conservation, cyberbullying, mental health and young people. Historically, actress Meghan Markle has been heavily involved in humanitarian causes, focusing her efforts on battling gender inequality and modern slavery. Meghan quit these roles in advance of her engagement and while she didn’t announce the new royal initiatives that she’d be taking on at the Forum, she did say she hoped to “shine a light on women feeling empowered ... Women don’t need to find a voice – they have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen.”
Of course, charity ventures are the bedrock of royal work and William and Harry have been taught well by their parents. Diana, Princess of Wales made extraordinary breakthroughs lifting the stigma surrounding AIDS, and Prince Charles is one of the most dynamic philanthropists in the UK with his own youth charity, The Prince’s Trust, now in its 42nd year. It’s the most successful royal charity ever and now has an arm in Australia, too.
But what is new here is the teamwork and we can’t wait to see the Fab Four in action.