The purpose behind Meghan Markle’s afternoon tea with Malala Yousafzai at Claridge’s has been disclosed: the pair are joining forces to support girls’ education ahead of International Day of the Girl.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and the 29-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate were photographed embracing outside the luxury Mayfair hotel last Wednesday.
According to fellow guests, the women enjoyed a traditional British tea, complete with cucumber sandwiches, scones, jam and clotted cream.
On Sunday, Meghan and Malala announced their new partnership in a joint Instagram post, sharing two photographs from their meeting at Claridge’s.
Meghan said that 100 per cent of the net proceeds from sales of her As Ever jams and teas would be donated to the Malala Fund.
One image shows the pair smiling in front of a selection of freshly baked cakes, while another captures them holding hands.
Their message said: “When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this.” – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex & Malala Yousafzai.
The statement continued: “This International Day of the Girl, in partnership with Archewell Philanthropies, 100% of net proceeds from As Ever jams and teas will support Malala Fund and its vital work to ensure that every girl has access to free, safe, quality education.”
Meghan and Malala Yousafzai met for afternoon tea at Claridge’s as part of a new partnership supporting girls’ education, with the Duchess of Sussex pledging 100 per cent of the net proceeds from her As Ever jams and teas to the Malala Fund on International Day of the Girl
Meghan and Malala Yousafzai unveiled their collaboration on Instagram, posting two photographs from their afternoon tea meeting
For the London outing, Meghan wore a stylish Tove Studio coat with cream Ralph Lauren trousers
The pair first worked together in 2020, taking part in a virtual International Day of the Girl conversation focused on girls’ education
“Tea for Two has never felt so good. Shop at asever.com.”
Meghan and Malala initially connected in October 2020, when they appeared in a virtual discussion marking International Day of the Girl and highlighted the importance of education for girls worldwide.
Established in 2013, the Malala Fund campaigns for every girl to receive 12 years of free, safe and high-quality education.
Its work focuses on countries where girls encounter significant obstacles to learning, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania.
The Claridge’s appearance is thought to have marked Meghan’s first public outing in London since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
Meghan’s outfit included a camel Tove Studio coat priced at £1,695, a £630 wheat-coloured cashmere sweater from Los Angeles label CO, and Ralph Lauren’s £1,700 white satin Masina trousers.
She completed the look with a black Chanel handbag worth approximately £7,000 and Saint Laurent “Chris” loafers in ivory and tan, priced at £795.
The Duchess also wore Logan Hollowell’s Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace, valued at £16,200, bringing the total cost of her ensemble to just over £28,000.
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Meghan and Prince Harry join activist Malala for a virtual chat to celebrate International Day of the Girl in 2020
In a striking contrast to her Chanel arm candy, the Duchess also carried a canvas tote bag featuring a striking design depicting women wearing hijabs.
Months earlier Meghan and Prince Harry were met by some boos as they arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
While the Duchess has transited through Heathrow on several occasions since then, she is understood to have avoided central London during ongoing concerns about her security.
Malala, originally from Pakistan but now living in Birmingham, was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for speaking up about young female schooling and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 – the youngest ever recipient at 17 – before going to Oxford University.
Meghan’s focus over the past week has been on the latest As Ever launches but this latest outing suggests she may be preparing to return to philanthropic work, perhaps in the field of girls’ education, now that she is back in the UK.
Meghan and Malala dined in Claridge’s world-famous Foyer and Reading Room, where afternoon tea costs £95 per person. Champagne is available for £30 more but Malala, a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, and Meghan appeared to stick to tea and mineral water.
Set in the hotel’s famed Art Deco interiors and accompanied by live piano music, it is one of Mayfair’s most exclusive and celebrated dining rooms.
Fellow diners discreetly took photographs of the pair as they chatted animatedly over their meal, according to a hotel insider. The women were polite but barely interacted with other attendees as they were surrounded by protection officers.
The source said they were accompanied by security throughout the visit. Police vehicles were spotted outside Claridge’s during their meet-up, identifiable by their distinctive number plate lights.
The meeting comes amid Harry and Meghan’s ongoing battle to get taxpayer-funded police protection in Britain.
The couple previously mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge over Harry’s police security while he was visiting from the US.
It is understood now that the committee overseeing royal and VIP security, known as Ravec, is to reconsider the level of police protection now the couple and their two children are full-time residents.
Meghan and Malala’s discussion in 2020 came during the Covid pandemic, with Harry also joining the virtual talk on barriers to education for young women.
Meghan said on the call: ‘When young girls have access to education, everyone wins, and everyone succeeds. It just opens the door for societal success at the highest level.
‘What I had realised very early on was that when women have a seat at the table, conversations in terms of policy change, conversations in terms of legislation and the dynamics of the community are all shifted.
‘And when you have to see how you get a woman to embrace her voice, you have to start with where she is a young girl.’
‘To know there’s over 130million girls out of education right now, before the pandemic, and the numbers are only going to go up, it worries me, and it probably worries all of us, the effect that is going to have not just on the individual, but on the family, and community, for the country and the world at large.
‘I’m hugely grateful for the education I was lucky enough to have; at the time I certainly probably wasn’t as grateful, but looking back at it now, I’m very, very blessed with having such amazing options.’
Following their conversation, Malala said of the Duchess: ‘Meghan and I are on the same page: we both believe that when girls have access to education, everyone wins.’
