This past week, Meghan made an unpublicized trip to Luminary Bakery, in which she talked with volunteers and gave a very revealing interview with The Telegraph.
You’ll recall that Meghan spotlighted Luminary Bakery in the issue of British Vogue she guest-edited back in September. Meghan identified the bakery as a “Force For Change” since it promotes women’s empowerment by hiring disadvantaged women and giving them the job training and skills necessary to excel in the workplace.
Meghan even sent them a thank you note for being part of the issue when it was released:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0obHDxnYRL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Meghan has also enjoyed their cakes on several occasions – most recently for her 38th birthday in August 2019.
During her visit, Meghan helped decorate a three-tiered cake with strawberries before making the honorary first cut to cheers. While there, when Meghan noticed that some of them were overwhelmed by her appearance, she said:
“One of the things I have realised since being here [in the UK] is that people have an expectation when I’m coming somewhere, so I’m like, let’s just be really relaxed, keep everyone nice and chilled because at the end of the day we’re all just women. We all have a story to tell, and I feel honoured that I am getting to hear yours.”
You can watch a video SussexRoyal shared on their Instagram below. The video is captioned:
“It was a special moment to acknowledge the spirit of Luminary and their remarkable business model that opens its arms to women from vulnerable circumstances (be it abuse, poverty, trafficking, marginalisation) and equips them with the job skills and confidence to succeed. Having sat down with Luminary Bakery at their flagship location earlier this year and from that inspiring visit choosing to feature them as Forces For Change in the September issue of British Vogue, Her Royal Highness was proud to be invited to attend the launch of their second bakery. This addition will enable the organization to provide services, support and mentoring for four times the number of women.”:
Meghan was joined by Bryony Gordon and they spent some time chatting with the women of the bakery. Bryoni reported that Meghan reminded the women that people are always “wanting things done immediately” and needing an “instant fix” to problems.
During a conversation with a woman named Tanya, who was stabbed multiple times by her violent ex-partner, Meghan told her “But we aren’t mechanical objects that need to be fixed. You’re a wounded creature that needs to be healed and that takes time.”
Bryoni and Meghan has known each other for almost two years, having met before the wedding in 2018 and keeping in touch since then. The two met for lunch one day prior to the wedding, and Bryoni noted that “She ate monkfish, offering me some when I expressed my food envy, and we discussed some of our shared passions: mental health, running, yoga.”
She also explained that Meghan “wasn’t much different from a normal person”. When she was asked about it later, she explained “I felt a little disappointed to have to answer honestly that she was really not that much different from the rest of us.”
Bryoni also met Meghan for a chat just before the Tom Bradby documentary, Harry, and Meghan: An African Journey premiered. She said: “If I have learnt anything about Meghan in the time, I have known her, it is that she is a doer, not a wallower. She lives in the solution, not the problem. She told me that she didn’t want people to love her – she just wanted them to be able to hear her. I have found that this is what the Duchess of Sussex stands for: using her voice to help give one to people less privileged than her.”
Bryony also described how Meghan has learned to live with the harsh reality she’s in since she married into the royal family: “Damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. And being the kind of person she is, she’s going to carry on doing, thank you very much.” Like so much of Meghan’s work (both public and private), this engagement may never see the light of day in the Court Circular, but as Bryony so aptly noted, that isn’t why she’s doing this. She’s doing it for women like Tanya.
You can read Bryony’s full article here, I enjoyed reading it very much!
Visiting the bakery, Meghan wore the Poplin White & Midnight Blue Stripe Shirt by With Nothing Underneath.
She wore a pair of DL1961 Emma Power Leggings
With her Madewell leather belt
She styled it with her comfy Adidas Stan Smith trainers.
Upon her arrival, Meghan was spotted wearing her J Crew Juliette Collarless Sweater Blazer from the US Open.
Finally, she accessorised with her Adina Reyter 14k Gold Three Diamond Amigos Curve earrings.
