Meghan Markle has announced that she's officially returning from maternity leave! The Duchess of Sussex has been lying low since giving birth to Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in May. She's made some select appearances in recent months, from attending Trooping the Colour to taking in a professional baseball game in London. After four months, Meghan is ready to get back in the swing of things. She'll be stepping out next Thursday, September 12, for a special cause. She's launching her capsule collection of women's workwear with designer and friend Misha Nonoo.
Meghan's newest project will benefit one of her royal patronages, Smart Works. The charity helps women in need to obtain employment through job and interview training. One of its services is providing high-quality interview clothing to these women. For each item purchased from Meghan and Misha's collection, one item will be donated to the charity, which struggles to have a fair selection for women of all shapes and sizes.
Meghan Markle is making her official return from maternity leave! The Duchess of Sussex has been lying low since she gave birth to son Archie Harrison on May 6. Four months later, she's ready to get back to her royal duties.
For a while now, we've known that Meghan and Harry would be traveling on royal business this fall. The couple is slated to take Archie with them on a royal tour of southern Africa. Now we know that Meghan will be back to work before then.
Meghan will take on her first royal work engagement since Archie's birth next Thursday. The Duchess of Sussex will launch the capsule collection of women's workwear that she developed with friend and designer Misha Nonoo.
The collaboration will benefit Meghan's royal patronage, Smart Works. The organization helps women in need to gain employment by helping them learn skills and interview techniques. The charity also provides them with professional attire for interviews.
Every item from Meghan and Misha's collection that's purchased will lead to an item being donated to Smart Works. This will help better accommodate women of different shapes and sizes, and help them make the right stylistic choices to succeed.
"When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes," Meghan wrote in September's British Vogue, which she guest-edited. "Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colors, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes."
"To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friends, the designer Misha Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe," she continued.
"Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity," Meghan explained. "Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together."
Meghan shared a sneak peek at what's in store last month. In an Instagram story, Meghan surprised women arriving at a photo shoot for the collection.
"An initiative supporting the Smart Works collective which will equip women entering the work force with the key work wear essentials they need … coming soon," the duchess wrote.
While this collection may be the first thing coming from Meghan in some time, that doesn't mean the new mom hasn't been busy. Aside from her appearances at Trooping the Colour and a London baseball game, she's had a pretty packed schedule.
The duchess also celebrated Archie's christening with the royal family in July, ahead of the summer holiday. The newest addition to the royal family looked positively serene in the photos shared from the occasion.
Meghan also took in some tennis at Wimbledon. She went with friends Lindsay Roth and Genevieve Hillis to watch BFF Serena Williams play. She also returned with sister-in-law Kate Middleton for the women's final.
There was even more family bonding a few days prior when Meghan and Archie joined Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis to watch a charity polo match that both William and Harry participated in.
Meghan seems excited to be getting back to work, especially with a cause that means so much to her. It's only Meghan's first year as royal patron for Smart Works, but she already seems to have some creative ideas to help the charity and the women who utilize it.
