"I am proud to be a woman and a feminist": the activist career of Meghan Markle, the future wife of Prince Harry
"I am proud to be a woman and a feminist."
This is how Meghan Markle began her introductory speech as a UN Women advocate for political engagement and leadership.
It was 2015 and the American actress still didn't know Prince Harry.
But the future wife of Queen Elizabeth II's youngest grandson was no longer known only for her work behind the scenes, but also for her activism.
In fact, Markle's preoccupation with gender issues began when she was 11 years old.
One day I was at school and a commercial for a dish soap was shown on television accompanied by the phrase: "Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans."
Two children in her class commented, "Yes, that's where women belong, the kitchen."
"I remember feeling surprised and angry and hurt too," Markle commented in her speech two years ago. "That was not right and something had to be done."
Upon returning home, she spoke with her father, who encouraged her to write letters.
"I realized that if I really wanted someone to listen, I had to write to the first lady, then Hillary Clinton."
Clinton responded, but it was the impact of the letter sent to the manufacturers of the product that left the biggest mark on Markle.
Within a month, Procter and Gamble changed advertising. It was no longer "the women in all of America" but "the people in America."
"It was at that moment that I realized the magnitude of my actions," she commented in the speech, given in the framework of International Women's Day.
"At 11 years old, I had had my little level of impact advocating for equality."
From Rwanda to Afghanistan
Following the announcement of the royal wedding on Monday, UN Women said in a statement that it "trusts and hopes that in its new and important public role it will continue to use its visibility and voice to support the advancement of gender equality."
Because of her role in the agency, Markle, 36, spent time at the World Bank and with the team of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She visited Rwanda, which has the highest percentage of women in Parliament, and the troops in Afghanistan.
In her role as an advisor to One Young World, she participated in the organization's summit alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"A woman who works"
Known since 2011 primarily for her role as "Rachel Zane" on the television series "Suits," she was also an editor at The Tig.
She created the lifestyle website in an attempt to "rethink beauty content to include reflection pieces on self-empowerment" and to target inspiring and dynamic women. "She closed it in April this year.
There she has written: "I have never wanted to be a lady who attends lunches, I have always wanted to be a woman who works."
At the beginning of the year, she became a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the education, nutrition and health care of children around the world.
And Markle sees no contradiction in combining acting with her humanitarian commitments.
"My life oscillates between refugee camps and red carpets, but I choose both worlds because they can coexist, and for me, they must," he said.
