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November 06 – Visiting The Broom Farm Community Centre

On November 06, 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a private visit to The Broom Farm Community Centre.

A post on Sussex Royal said: “The Duke and Duchess surprised their neighbours in Windsor at a coffee morning for military families in a community centre located in the heart of the Army housing estate. Every year during the month of November we pause to remember and honour all those who have served their country here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world. Their Royal Highnesses also wanted to show support for the families of service personnel who are currently deployed overseas.

As we lead up to Remembrance Sunday, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will join Her Majesty The Queen and other Members of the Royal Family at various commemoration events, including the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and the Cenotaph.

During the visit yesterday, Their Royal Highnesses met with young families who shared their experiences as parents and as couples who are often apart from their loved ones for months at a time. A reminder that a life of service does not simply describe the person wearing the uniform, but the entire family.”

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Filed in Gallery Updates Royal Visit

Photos – The Duchess of Sussex Visits The Luminary Bakery

The Sussex Royal Instagram account revealed that the Duchess of Sussex made a private visit to The Luminary Bakery.

First featured in British Vogue’s ‘Forces For Change’ September issue that Meghan guest edited. The Luminary Bakery is a non profit bakery that uses baking as a tool to take women on a journey to employ ability and entrepreneurship, equipping them with transferable skills for the working world. Offering courses, work experience and paid employment within the bakery, empowering women to build their career. By investing in and releasing them to realize their dreams – through training, employment and community, they aim to break cycles of poverty, violence & disadvantage once and for all.

This visit coincides with a story for The Telegraph by journalist Bryony Gordon who followed The Duchess as she joined The Luminary Bakery for the opening of their new location which will enable the organisation to provide services, support and mentoring for four times the number of women. You can read the article here where Meghan talks about how vulnerability is one of humanity’s greatest strengths.

During her visit Meghan met with the women of the bakery who shared their emotional stories with her.

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Filed in Gallery Updates Royal Tour: South Africa Royal Visit

Photos & Roundup: October 02 – Royal Visit South Africa – Day 10

FROM SUSSEX ROYAL: In Tembisa, Johannesburg, today The Duke and Duchess visited to meet young entrepreneurs at the YES hub – a hive for creativity and social enterprise. Their visit was an amazing tour of the ingenuity and opportunity – seeing businesses that varied from food to essential sanitary products for local women.

During their visit, they were able to sample food from ‘Chef Mish’ – a local masterchef winner – which he makes at the site as part of his catering business and cafe. They then joined YES community members to take part in training and tests that will help them gain skills and find work.

On the third stop today, entrepreneur Moss showed The Duke and Duchess the organic produce he’s growing in the township with aquaponics – supplying local restaurants.

And finally, The Duke and Duchess met the women behind the amazing Blossom Care Solutions – who are making 80,000 sanitary pads every month for women in their community. They are 100% compostable, and provide an essential low-cost product for women and girls.

The Duchess has long campaigned on this issue and wrote in Time magazine in 2017, saying: “In communities all over the globe, young girls’ potential is being squandered because we are too shy to talk about the most natural thing in the world. To that I say: we need to push the conversation, mobilize policy making surrounding menstrual health initiatives, support organizations who foster girls’ education from the ground up, and within our own homes, we need to rise above our puritanical bashfulness when it comes to talking about menstruation.”

FROM SUSSEX ROYAL: Today as they near the end of #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica The Duke and Duchess have been able to spend time with Graça Machel – the politician, humanitarian, and international advocate for women’s and children’s rights.

Their Royal Highnesses were delighted to be able to meet Graça and her family, and talk about their shared passion for their work on equality and human rights.

Graça, who was married to former South African President and anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela, was made an honorary British Dame by Her Majesty The Queen for her contributions and services to human rights protection.

Appearances & Engagements Photos > South Africa Tour > October 02 |South Africa Tour – Day 10 – Set 1
Appearances & Engagements Photos > South Africa Tour > October 02 | South Africa Tour – Day 10 – Set 2

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Photos & Roundup: October 01 – Royal Visit South Africa – Day 9

On the final leg of The Duke and Duchesses tour of South Africa, The Duchess of Sussex travelled to Johannesburg for a number of education themed engagements.

UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG: Meghan’s first stop was to the University of Johannesburg in her role as Patron of The Association of Commonwealth Universities. The Association of Commonwealth Universities is the world’s first international university network, and is the only accredited organisation representing higher education across the Commonwealth. The ACU manages international scholarship schemes, including The Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships, and convenes universities to address key policy challenges such as gender and equity, climate resilience, and peace and reconciliation.

During her visit The Duchess of Sussex attended a round-table discussion at the University joining students and educators who openly discussed challenges for girls gaining access to university. Meghan also revealed three new gender grants for the University of Johannesburg, Stellenbosch University and the University of Western Cape. Of which the grant for Stellenbosch will fund a ‘unique campus walking route’ designed to make both men and women feel safer at university. Duchess Meghan also revealed four new Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships for students from Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria.

ACTIONAID: Next, The Duchess of Sussex visited a local school in Johannesburg to meet with representatives from ActionAid to discuss a range of issues including gender based and sexual violence in schools. Prince Charles is currently the Patron of ActionAid, a charity that is working to achieve social justice and gender equality, and working to eradicate poverty. Focusing specifically on women right’s which is a thread throughout their work. One of the projects Action Aid works with is the Teddy Bear Clinic, which provides essential support to children and families affected by domestic and sexual abuse. After the meeting with representatives The Duchess traveled privately to meet young girls who are being supported by ActionAid and The Teddy Bear Clinic.

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Appearances & Engagements Photos > South Africa Tour > October 01 | South Africa Tour – Day 9 – Set 1
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Behind the scenes with Meghan Markle: Duchess tells Bryony Gordon how vulnerability is one of humanity’s greatest strengths

Back from her African tour, the Duchess of Sussex pays a visit to a project for disadvantaged women – and tells Bryony Gordon how she encouraged Prince Harry to speak openly about his mental health

In a small, sparse room at the back of a bakery on the urban streets of Camden, north London, the Duchess of Sussex is comforting a crying woman.

Tanya’s tears fall over the scars that will remain on her cheeks for the rest of her life; stark reminders of the violent ex partner who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence after he stabbed her repeatedly.

Tanya is explaining what this, the bakery that doubles as a social enterprise, has done for her since that terrible day back in 2016. By a cruel twist of fate it was International Women’s Day when her attacker lay in wait for her outside the doors of the London university she was studying at.

Tanya had been a victim of domestic violence for a decade. “Society judges women for staying in abusive relationships,” she says to me and the Duchess. “But I don’t ever feel judged here. I feel I can be free. I feel I can be myself.”

Here is the Luminary Bakery, a small, grass roots organisation that helps to empower disadvantaged women through training and employment opportunities.
Continue reading Behind the scenes with Meghan Markle: Duchess tells Bryony Gordon how vulnerability is one of humanity’s greatest strengths

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Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Will Take ‘Family Time’ Off and May Spend Thanksgiving in the U.S.
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Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Will Take ‘Family Time’ Off and May Spend Thanksgiving in the U.S.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are set to take about six weeks off towards the end of the year to spend some valuable “family time” together, a royal source confirmed to PEOPLE.

Royal time off!

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will take about six weeks off towards the end of the year to spend some valuable “family time” together amid their concerns that the intense scrutiny they’ve faced has been tough on the couple.

Meghan and Harry will spend the time between the U.K. and the U.S. with the likelihood that they could celebrate Thanksgiving in America.

“The duke and duchess have a full schedule of engagements and commitments until mid-November, after which they will be taking some much-needed family time,” a royal source has confirmed to PEOPLE.

Suggestions that the couple might make a move to Africa, where they recently embarked on a royal tour, have also been reignited, with Harry saying in a new documentary that Cape Town would be “an amazing place” for the couple and baby Archie to live.

“I don’t know where we could live in Africa at the moment. We’ve just come from Cape Town. That would be an amazing place to be able to base ourselves,” he says in Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which debuts on ITV in the U.K. on Sunday.

The documentary also highlights some of the difficulties the new parents have faced in the last year.

“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot,” Meghan says.

“So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed. It’s um …yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”

Asked by ITV’s Tom Bradby if it “would be fair” to say that she’s “not really okay, as in it’s really been a struggle?” the duchess responds, “Yes.”

Harry also talks about the still raw emotions he feels about the death of his mother Princess Diana 22 years ago and his continuing feeling that press attention led to that .

“I think being part of this family — in this role, in this job — every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back,” he said. “In that respect, it’s the worst reminder of her life as oppose to the best.”

“Being here now 22 years later trying to finish what she started will be incredibly emotional. But everything that I do reminds me of her,” he continued. “But as I said — with the role, with the job and sort of the pressures that come with that — I get reminded of the bad stuff.”

In a statement released towards the end of their tour of Southern Africa, Harry, 35, said, “Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son.”

For Harry, Africa is always going to be at the center of his, and Meghan’s, work. He tells the ITV documentary, “The rest of our lives, especially our life’s work, will be predominantly focused on Africa, on conservation . . . . there’s a lot of things to be done. There’s a lot of problems here, but a huge potential for solutions.”

Source: https://people.com

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Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Have Reunited

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back together — for a good cause.

The two royal couples, who have split their offices and charitable endeavors after initially working side-by-side, have reunited to voice a PSA video for mental health, which will be aired by major U.K. broadcasters on Monday evening.

The three-minute clip — launched by Public Health England as part of its Every Mind Matters program — features the royals narrating a spot that stars Gillian Anderson, Glenn Close and Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain.

It was written by Four Weddings and a Funeral creator Richard Curtis.

“When they heard about it, all four of them were really keen to take part,” says a royal source. “It is a really positive project, and all four of them have been involved and they hope it will have a huge impact.”

The palace will not say when and where the recordings were made, but they took place at various places.

After William says “Me, you,” Harry picks up with “your brother, your mother, your friend, your colleague, your neighbor,” adding that sufferers often feel they can’t do anything about it.

“There are things we can do,” says Meghan. “From today, there’s a new way to help turn things around. Every Mind Matters will show you simple ways to look after your mental health.”

Then Kate, who was the inspiration behind the royals’ successful Heads Together mental health initiative, adds, “It’ll get you started with a free online plan designed to help you deal with stress, boost your mood, improve your sleep and feel more in control.”

Source: https://people.com

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Filed in Gallery Updates Royal Tour Royal Tour: South Africa Royal Visit

Photos & Roundup: September 30 – Royal Visit South Africa – Day 8

On September 30, 2019 The Duchess of Sussex made a unannounced visit to Johannesburg’s Victoria Yards, a place for artisans and craftspeople to work and share their creations.

Meghan visited several organizations and small businesses including Sneakers 4 Change, an organization that collects and donates sneakers to those who are less fortunate and Young Bucks, a small business that makes books from recycled materials. During the stop, Meghan revealed that she used to teach a bookbinding class. At Sobae Frozen, a small business inspired by a desire to reduce food waste, The Duchess sampled flavors of vegan sherbet made from unused fruit from Victoria Yards.

The Duchess met Tshepo Jeanmaker, a local designer from Soweto who makes custom jeans,he revealed that he received a call from the British Embassy last month requesting he create a pair of jeans for Meghan. He also created a pair of overalls for Archie and was quite surprised that The Duchess picked them up herself.

Meghan also toured Delaney Studio with Contemporary artist James Delaney who works in paint, sculpture, charcoal and print from his studio at Victoria Yards. The Duchess also chatted with several craftsmen and artisans.

At the end of her visit, The Duchess was moved by the original poetry of Belita Andre, the winner of the Poetry Grandslam. In her reading she said: “The Maker’s Valley is a social and enterprise hub, a wave between my corner of the world and yours. Insisting that beyond the anchors of survival. How to make sure that everyone gets to shore, pass around an ocean of stars, not because our sleepless nights are equal but because our dreams are.”

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Photos & Roundup: September 26 – Royal Visit South Africa – Day 4
Filed in Gallery Updates Royal Tour Royal Tour: South Africa Royal Visit

Photos & Roundup: September 26 – Royal Visit South Africa – Day 4

On September 26, 2019 The Duchess of Sussex made a private visit to the memorial site of Uyinene Mrwetyana, a 19-year-old student who was brutally tortureed, raped and murdered outside of a post office in an act of gender based violence that has been an issue and cause of protest throughout the streets of South Africa.

According to the Sussex Royal Instagram Account Harry and Meghan had been closely following what had happened and were both eager to learn more when they arrived in South Africa. The Duchess even spoke to the mother of Uyinene this week to relay their condolences.

During her visit to the memorial site, Meghan tied a yellow ribbon among the others with “Simi kunye kulesisimo: We stand together in this moment” written in Xhosa. This trip was incredibly important to the Duchess as she wanted to recognize Uyinene, and all women and girls effected by Gender Based Violence (specifically in South Africa, but also throughout the world).

Sussex Royal also revealed that Meghan has taken on a number of private visits and meetings over the last two days to deepen her understanding of the current situation and continue to advocate for the rights of women and girls.

On Thursday morning, The Duchess also attended a private breakfast for “Women In Public Service” at the High Commission in Cape Town. The invited guests have played a role in the development of South Africa’s institutions, and continue to advocate for women’s rights, education and healthcare. No photos from this event have been released yet and at the time reporters said we would hear more about it “later this week”.

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Engagements in 2019 > South Africa Tour > September 26 | South Africa Tour – Day 4 – Set 1

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