In Canada, the duchess visits 2 women’s groups on the same day
THE Duchess of Sussex has made a whirlwind tour of women’s groups and other charities near her new Canadian bolthole.
Photographs have appeared on social media showing her posing for pictures with volunteers at a women’s refuge and at a nearby feminist justice charity. Both visits took place within a few hours of each other on Tuesday, and the photographs showed Meghan, 38, in virtually identical poses, and in the same outfit.
The duchess wore a cream cashmere jumper over slim dark trousers and knee-high boots as she posed with her arms around women at both centres in the city of Vancouver.
She spent an hour at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre after her personal assistant sent an email asking if she could visit the group in a rundown area. And she spent 90 minutes chatting with volunteers at the nearby Justice For Girls charity, after an unnamed aide told organisers she found their work ‘compelling’ and wanted to learn more.
Last night the co-director of Justice For Girls told the Mail that Meghan’s ‘representative’ had arranged the visit so the duchess could get a ‘real understanding’ of the issues in the community ‘where she’s going to be spending time’. Zoe Craig-Sparrow, 22, added: ‘She was really passionate about women’s rights so we were honoured to have her there.
‘She put everyone at ease and she was really engaged, and she had a lot of knowledge of the issues that we discussed.
‘We were aware that she was coming. When I found out, I was very surprised and excited, we were all very honoured that she chose our organisation to come and visit.
‘I didn’t know what to expect – she was super polite and really kind and honestly I was so impressed by her dedication to the causes, her knowledge and some of the work that she’s done and I could tell that she is really dedicated to improving the lives and rights of girls.’
Miss Craig-Sparrow said the duchess did not speak about her personal life.
Meghan’s decision to carry out visits in Vancouver appeared to be an attempt to silence her critics after she and Prince Harry announced they were stepping back from their royal duties. The couple have said they no longer wanted mainstream media to cover their engagements, and instead will use social media to promote their activities.
The duchess left Archie, eight months, with a nanny at their retreat on Vancouver Island for her impromptu visits.