Meghan & Kate: The double act
Meghan speaks out for anti-sexual harassment campaigns as Harry & Wills joke about ‘rows’
MEGHAN Markle has thrown her weight behind the empowerment of women by supporting the anti-sexual harassment movements #Me Too and Time’s Up.
In her first official appearance with fiance Harry, William and Kate, the former Suits star was passionate about doing even more charity work after her wedding.
She will become a patron of Kate and princes’ charity The Royal Foundation and yesterday the foursome, dubbed the Fab Four, discussed its work.
Meghan, 36, said: “You’ll often hear people say, ‘We’re helping women find their voices’ and I fundamentally disagree with that because 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.”
The UN women’s advocate went on: “I think right now in the climate we are seeing so many campaigns, I mean #Me Too and Time’s Up, and there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people really helping to support them – men included in that.
“It makes such a tremendous difference. We can hit the ground running.”
During the event in Central London, Harry, 33, also joked that the idea for the young royals’ hugely successful mental health campaign Heads Together was formed on the “back of a fag
Women have a voice and they need to feel empowered to use it MEGHAN MARKLE ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN
packet”. And he said: “Working as a family has its challenges... We’re stuck with each other for the rest of our lives!”
William, 35, laughed about any disagreements, chipping in: “Is it resolved? We don’t know.”
Meghan’s praise for #Me Too and Time’s Up comes after Kate, 36, was criticised for wearing a green dress to the Baftas where actresses wore black to support Time’s Up.
The two women appeared to have a warm relationship as they sat side by side at yesterday’s event at insurer Aviva’s headquarters.
Kate, whose third child is due in April, wore a £99 cornflour blue dress by maternity label Seraphine. She said charity work definitely “had an impact on how I mother, how we work as a family and how we approach bringing up our children”.
Last month the Daily Mirror revealed Meghan had secretly been to visit Grenfell survivors.
Meghan, wearing a £1,372 navy, sleeveless, belted dress by Canadian fashion designer Jason Wu, said: “It’s very important to want to hit the ground running. Even if it’s doing it quietly behind the scenes, which is what I’ve focused my energy on thus far... meeting with the right people, meeting with the organisations behind the scenes quietly, learning as much as I can so I can maximise the opportunity we have here to really make an impact.”
Lorraine Heggessey, chief executive of the Royal Foundation, said about Meghan’s appearance: “She has been used to performing but acting is very different to being on a stage being asked questions. She was very natural. She has a passion for charity work. She’s already shown that in the past and that’s one of the things Prince Harry and she have spoken about and they’ve bonded over.
“She wants to make a difference and she will make a difference.”
She added that Meghan’s work will likely focus on “women, young women, teenage girls”.
The Royal Foundation is the vehicle for all the young royals’ charitable work, including their mental health campaign and the respected United for Wildlife taskforce.
US-born Meghan will also become a UK citizen following her wedding at Windsor Castle on May 19.