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Duchess Meghan is making her 40th birthday one to remember. To coincide with the special milestone, the Duchess of Sussex has launched a new charitable initiative to support women around the world.

As part of the Archewell Foundation’s ongoing call for Compassion in Action, the new 40×40 initiative encourages people to contribute 40 minutes of mentorship or community service to help women affected by the pandemic reenter the workforce.

Meghan’s decision to focus on this growing problem comes after millions of women around the world have been forced to leave work during the pandemic, including 2 million in the U.S., through job loss or having to focus on schooling children and care for family members.

And she isn’t doing it alone. The duchess has asked 40 activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to participate, including Adele, Amanda Gorman, Amanda Nguyen, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Gloria Steinem, José Andrés, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and Stella McCartney.

With the help of actress Melissa McCarthy, Meghan announced the project on the Archewell website during a special skit (featuring a cameo from a juggling Prince Harry!). “We should get matching tattoos,” McCarthy suggested to mark her big day, holding up a “besties forever” design. “Y’know, maybe we should save it for when I turn 50,” Meghan laughed.

In an open letter about the idea of giving 40-minutes of service, Meghan wrote, “In reflecting on my 40th birthday and the many things I am grateful for, I’m struck that TIME IS AMONG OUR GREATEST AND MOST ESSENTIAL GIFTS: Time with our loved ones, time doing the things we love, time spent learning, laughing, growing, and the sacred time we have on this earth. Amongst the most valuable gifts of time is also time spent in service to others knowing that it can contribute to incredible change. To that last point, and with my 40th lap around the sun in mind, it made me wonder: what would happen if we all committed 40 minutes to helping someone else or to mentoring someone in need? And then what would happen if we asked our friends to do the same?”

She continued, “I believe mentorship is one way to help women regain confidence and rebuild their economic strength, and for my birthday, I have asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to help kickoff a global effort by contributing 40 MINUTES OF MENTORSHIP to support women re-entering the workforce. With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well.”

One of Meghan’s first patronages, the British-based charity Smart Works, has joined three other organizations to partner with the #40×40 initiative. “The Duchess of Sussex has personally dedicated many hours to supporting and mentoring Smart Works’ clients ahead of their job interviews,” the charity, which coaches unemployed women ahead of job interviews, tweeted. “We look forward to playing a small part in bringing this initiative to life for the women we exist to help.” The YWCA, a charity dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting justice, and volunteer action center LA Works have also joined as partners.

Supporters of the duchess have also found other impactful ways to celebrate Meghan’s birthday. Sussex Squad members launched the #Meghans40celebration hashtag to raise money for the Myna Mahila foundation in India, which has spent the past six years working to break taboos surrounding menstrual hygiene in a country where more than 140 million women are using unsanitary menstrual solutions. Over the past month, the grassroots initiative has raised upward of $47,000 to help 850 girls go back into full-time education by providing yearlong supplies of sanitary products.

Despite numerous tabloid reports of lavish birthday parties and five-start party planners, sources close to the duchess tell BAZAAR that Meghan will be celebrating her 40th “privately” at home with family.

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.com

Soon after leaving the royal family and naming their charity, Archewell, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they opened a production studio and signed a major deal with Netflix with an eye towards “making inspirational family programming.” Now, nearly a year after the September 2019 announcement, Meghan and the team at Archewell Productions have shared details about the company’s first show aimed at children, an animated series tentatively called Pearl, which will mix fantasy and history.

Meghan will executive produce alongside David Furnish, and the show will focus on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl as she meets notable women from history. “Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” Meghan said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix, and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history. David Furnish and I have been eager to bring this special series to light, and I am delighted we are able to announce it today.”

Furnish, the husband of Meghan and Harry’s close friend Elton John, expressed his admiration for his collaborators in a statement. “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and I are deeply passionate about bringing the inspirational and positive stories of extraordinary women from around the world to a global audience of all ages,” he said. “The team collaborating on the series are first class, and Netflix are the perfect partner.”

In April, Netflix announced that it had picked up its first Archewell show, Heart of Invictus, a docuseries helmed by Prince Harry following competitors on their road to compete in the Invictus Games for wounded service members. The games will take place in the Hague in 2022.

Source: https://www.vanityfair.com

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now a family of four! The Duchess of Sussex welcomed the couple’s second child — a baby girl — on Friday.

“It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, welcome their daughter, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world,” read a statement from the couple released on Sunday.

“Lili was born on Friday, June 4 at 11:40 a.m. in the trusted care of the doctors and staff at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. Both mother and child are healthy and well, and settling in at home,” the statement continued. “Lili is named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her beloved late grandmother, The Princess of Wales.”

“This is the second child for the couple, who also have a two-year-old son named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess thank you for your warm wishes and prayers as they enjoy this special time as a family.”

Meghan and Harry also took to their Archewell website to share a personal message, writing, “On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”

The couple announced Meghan’s pregnancy on Valentine’s Day, sharing, “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”

During their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, they revealed that they were expecting a baby girl.

“To have a boy then a girl — what more can you ask for?” Harry said.

They also shared they won’t have any more children following their baby girl’s arrival: “Two is it.”

Prince Harry added of his feelings upon learning the baby is a girl, “Grateful, having any child, any one or a two would have been amazing, but to have a boy and then a girl . . . now we’ve got our family and we’ve got four of us.”

Meghan and Harry announced their pregnancy news with a stunning black-and-white photo that was taken remotely via iPad by their friend and longtime photographer, Misan Harriman. A smiling (and barefoot!) Harry looks lovingly at Meghan, who cradles her baby bump as she rests in his lap.

The happy news came after Meghan revealed she suffered a miscarriage last July. “Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she wrote in a searingly honest and heartbreaking New York Times essay on November 25.

Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, officially stepped down from their roles as senior royals last year. Their desire to have a normal family life played a role in their groundbreaking decision.

A palace source previously told PEOPLE that by the time of Archie’s birth, “they knew they were going to hit the nuclear button” on their royal exit.

When Archie was born, the couple’s focus shifted, even more, to “doing what’s right for their family,” added another friend.

Source: https://people.com/

Meghan Markle recently convened a special roundtable with young girls who are making an impact in their schools and communities.

The virtual gathering, which took place earlier this month between the Duchess of Sussex, Girls Inc. and the National Women’s Law Center, gave Meghan the opportunity to hear directly from adolescent girls about their experiences and stories, and to come together to honor and reflect on a long history of women changemakers.

“The Duchess believes girls’ voices can and should be heard, and through Archewell she focuses on providing them with the platforms, tools, and forums to help define a path forward and continue making an impact,” according to the official website for Meghan and Prince Harry’s non-profit organization, Archewell.

Meghan, who is expecting a baby girl this summer, heard from a powerful group of 13- 18-year-olds — primary girls of color — who are making a difference in their communities when it comes to education, social justice and health and wellness.

“The group spoke about everyday struggles during COVID-19, including identity loss and isolation, and larger issues of mental health, racial bias and injustice, and more. When asked what tools girls need to thrive in the year ahead, a common thread emerged: acknowledgement, support, empathy, and resources,” the site continues.

Meghan also reflected on the impact of trailblazing women throughout history, asking the girls to share which female figures have inspired them.

“Their answers included American civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, as well as Kala Bagai, one of the first South Asian women to immigrate to the United States in the early 20th century, who was known to many in her California community as ‘Mother India,’ ” according to Archewell.

Meghan and Harry previously shared the inspiration behind their foundation’s name, explaining, “Before SussexRoyal came the idea of ‘arche’ — the Greek word meaning ‘source of action.’ We connected to this concept for the charitable organization we hoped to build one day, and it became the inspiration for our son’s name. To do something of meaning, to do something that matters. Archewell is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon.”

Given the massive upheaval from both the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial justice movement, Meghan and Harry have refocused their efforts over the past year.

“Nobody could have counted on the world turning upside down,” a source previously told PEOPLE. “As many others have, they have been moved to get their voices behind supporting both the COVID-19 response and Black Lives Matter.”

Source: https://people.com/

The first two promos are out for the eagerly awaited (except possibly at Buckingham Palace) Oprah Winfrey interview with the Duke and Duchess. Watch one above and the other below.

Billed as Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, the clips bowed during the Eye network’s 60 Minutes newsmagazine. The network will air the primetime interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 7.

Only Winfrey and Prince Harry speak in the promos, with Winfrey teasing bombshell revelations. “You’ve said some pretty shocking things here,” she says at one point. She also is seen asking the duo whether they were “silent or silenced” and inquiring about “a breaking point,” likely in connection to their decision to leave the U.K.

Harry references the fate of his late mother, Princess Diana.

“My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” he says. “I’m really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been for her going through this process by herself all these years ago. Because it’s been unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we have each other.”

Per CBS, the interview will see Winfrey speak with Markle about everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, her philanthropic work, and how she is handling life under intense public pressure.

Later, the two will be joined by Prince Harry, as they speak about their move to the United States and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family. The interview comes a year after the couple moved to the US and became independent from the Royal family.

Since they have relocated to California, the pair have signed lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify. The Queen recently stripped them of royal patronages after a one-year review of the so-called “Megxit” deal, in which the couple wanted to step back from public life, but still serve and retain some privileges. Reports indicate Queen Elizabeth declared that the “half-in, half-out” approach would not compatible with the established protocols for the monarchy.

The special is produced by Harpo Productions. Executive producers are Terry Wood and Tara Montgomery. Brian Piotrowicz is co-executive producer.

Source: https://deadline.com/

As was speculated, the couple — who left full-time royal work in March of last year — will no longer keep their patronages (their royal involvement with numerous U.K. charities).

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family,” the Buckingham Palace statement said.

Continued the statement, “Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”

Further, Prince Harry, 36, will lose his honorary military appointments, which will subsequently be redistributed “among working members of The Royal Family.”

Other trusts and patronages that will revert to the Queen, 94, include the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Football League, the Royal National Theatre, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan, 39, no longer use their coveted His/Her Royal Highness titles, they will retain them — along with their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles.

“While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family,” the Buckingham Palace announcement said.

In their own statement about the news, Prince Harry and Meghan’s office said that the pair “remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world, and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role.”

“We can all live a life of service. Service is universal,” the statement read.

The couple’s probation period was originally not set to come to a close until March 31.

Ahead of the announcement, palace sources told PEOPLE that the challenge of keeping the royal roles stems from the couple’s commercial relationships with companies like Netflix and Spotify — partnerships that have helped them become financially independent. However, the Queen’s view is that members of the royal family can’t be “half in, half out” — that is, representing the Queen and the U.K. while also pursuing personal financial goals.

A source previously noted to PEOPLE, “It was clear to her from the start that a hybrid role is not an option.”

Despite losing his military titles — which another source told PEOPLE would upset Harry — he would still have his Invictus Games Foundation, the Paralympic-style contests for service members which also incorporates the Endeavour Fund. He also retains his personal charity Sentebale, which he set up with friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in southern Africa. Harry will additionally continue to work with WellChild, which aids sick children and their families.

Meghan will retain animal welfare charity Mayhew, and Smart Works Charity, which provides women with professional attire for career opportunities.

The news comes shortly after Harry and Meghan announced that they’re expecting their second child together.

Source: https://people.com/

Just one day after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared the happy news that they are expecting their second child, CBS announced that the Sussexes will be sitting down with Oprah Winfrey for a primetime interview, which will be broadcast on Sunday, March 7.

According to a press release put out by the network, Oprah will first speak one-on-one with Meghan and then, Harry will join the conversation, which is expected to cover everything from their marriage and philanthropic work to baby Archie and what life’s been like living in L.A.

Per CBS: “Winfrey will speak with Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, in a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure. Later, the two are joined by Prince Harry as they speak about their move to the United States and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family.”

Oprah has had close ties to the Sussexes for some time now. She was invited to the royal wedding in 2018, and has been working with Prince Harry on a forthcoming mental health-focused program for Apple TV+.

How to watch

The upcoming conversation will mark the couple’s first primetime interview since stepping away from their positions as senior working royals. Here’s how to tune in:

Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special will air on Sunday, March 7 at 8 P.M. eastern on CBS. If you don’t have cable, it will also be available to stream on Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV.

Source: https://www.townandcountrymag.com

A spokesperson for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”

The news was accompanied by a gorgeous black-and-white photo of the pair showing Meghan with her head in Harry’s lap as she cradles her baby bump.

The shot was that was taken remotely by photographer and friend of the couple Misan Harriman.

The Duchess is wearing a long dress by Carolina Herrera, which she also wore during her pregnancy with Archie.

Sweetly, the news echoes Princess Diana’s announcement of her pregnancy with Prince Harry, on Valentine’s Day back in 1984.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland were all informed of news before the announcement.

The baby will be eighth-in-line to the throne when he or she is born, after brother Archie in seventh place and Harry in sixth.

The Duchess of Sussex is expected to give birth in a US hospital, given that she and the Duke moved to the States in March 2020, after their decision to step back from royal life.

Details around the birth have not been confirmed and Harry and Meghan are likely to keep them private, in line with the precedent they set with their first child Archie. The tot was born on 6 May 2019 at the private Portland Hospital in London.

Source: https://www.hellomagazine.com/

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed Tuesday they are partnering with the audio streaming company with their new audio production company, Archewell Audio.

Through the partnership, the royal couple plans on creating “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” and to “spotlight diverse perspectives,” according to Spotify.

“What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction,” the couple said in a joint statement. “With the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to do so, because when we hear each other, and hear each other’s stories, we are reminded of how interconnected we all are.”

Prince Harry and Markle will host and produce podcasts through the partnership. Their first project will be a holiday special released later this month that features “stories of hope and compassion from inspirational guests in celebration of the new year.”

The couple’s first complete series with Spotify will debut next year.

The Spotify partnership is the second major deal the royal couple has scored since stepping down from their royal duties in March. The couple also signed a multiyear deal with Netflix in September for similar uplifting and informative projects.

Both the couple’s Netflix and Spotify deals fall in line with their mission for their Archewell charitable foundation. Prince Harry and Markle revealed the foundation in April, stating they plan on building a multimedia educational empire through it.

Source: https://wwd.com/

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has a new title: start-up investor.

Today, Fortune announced that the duchess has invested in a small, woman-owned company called Clevr Blends. Located near Montecito, California, the business makes superfood-enhanced instant oat milk lattes and is run by cofounder and CEO Hannah Mendoza. Meghan’s new investment is the first that has been made public. And in a statement released to the outlet, she explained why she decided to help financially back the company.

“This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business,” the duchess shared. “I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.”

Mendoza also released a statement, revealing her gratitude for the investment and the Duchess of Sussex’s support.

“Entrepreneurs need funding, but they also need advisers who care deeply about what they are building. I’m grateful to have found both in the Duchess of Sussex,” read the statement from Mendoza. “Her passion for what we’re creating is palpable, and I couldn’t imagine a more aligned partnership. We’re excited for the road ahead.”

There’s another certain someone who is equally excited about Meghan’s latest business venture: her friend and Montecito neighbor Oprah Winfrey, who just shared that the duchess sent her an early holiday gift involving a trio of the superfood lattes.

“On the first day of Christmas my neighbor ‘M’ sent to me…a basket of deliciousness! (Yes that M👑),” wrote Winfrey. “My new drink of choice for the morning and night. Wish I had @clevrblends sooner cause I would’ve added it to my Favorite Things list. #HappyHolidays”

Source: https://www.harpersbazaar.com