It's only been a couple of weeks since it was revealed that Meghan Markle jumped on a video call to speak with the women of the The Hubb Community Kitchen to commend their coronavirus efforts. Now it has come to light that the Duchess of Sussex has been making other calls too. Via Smart Works, Meghan Markle called an unnamed woman to offer support and advice.
Markle spoke with a woman who Smart Works has recently helped get back into the world of work, offering kind words of encouragement. The woman, who was up for a psychology internship, was given support from Markle direct from her home in LA via Zoom. The stuff dreams are made of, really.
"You seem incredibly confident and prepared," Markle told the woman. "I know everyone here is so excited. When I was reading about what your interests are, you have a big focus in mental health as well, right? Psychology? I think that's excellent."
When she was thanked for her kind words, the Duchess said: "Of course! I just wanted to be able to call in and wish you the best of luck, and my fingers are crossed for you."
She then continued: "There's so much going on in the world right now, and to be such a beacon of hope and focusing on getting through it, and all the positivity that we just want to send your way, and to make sure you can get on the other side of this, too, and have such a great opportunity there."
The clip of their chat was shared via Smart Works' Twitter and Instagram accounts, combined with a message from the Duchess. "It's been such an honour to meet and learn from so many talented women in the Smart Works network over the years, and recently to see the amazing work they're doing to adapt their programs to the reality of this pandemic... Their ability to continue to empower women and help them harness the confidence they need to succeed during this time is inspiring."
Smart Works provides support and training for women looking for jobs, as well as helping to provide them with outfit options to wear to interviews and other important occasions for work. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the organisation has been offering their services virtually.
Smart Works has been one of Meghan's patronages since January 2019, and the Duchess has since helped launch a capsule collection for the organisation, which featured collaborations with brands such as Misha Nonoo, Marks and Spencer, and Jigsaw.
