Meghan Markle praises ‘incredible’ UK women’s charity of which she is patron on its 10th anniversary – and says she’s celebrating the milestone ‘from across the pond’

The Duchess of Sussex has sent a heartfelt message to a UK charity she serves as patron of in honour of its 10th anniversary.

Meghan Markle, 42, expressed her gratitude to the ‘incredible’ Smart Works community for their assistance in helping unemployed women in challenging situations, in a statement posted on the charity’s Instagram page.

She was appointed as a patron of Smart Works in January 2019, back when she and Prince Harry were still residing in the UK – but since moving to the US, she has continued to support the organisation with a grant from her Archewell Foundation.

Smart Works provides interview training and clothing to help women secure employment and re-enter the workplace, and it has helped thousands of women across the county.

It has a team of 300 trained volunteers based in two London offices as well as centres in Edinburgh, Manchester, Reading, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Meghan Markle sent a heartfelt message to a UK charity she serves as patron of – in honour of its 10th anniversary

The Duchess’ statement read: ‘Congratulations to the entire Smart Works community on 10 incredible years of transforming lives.

‘For the last decade, you have made an indelible mark on women across the UK who have walked into your doors in need of more than just an outfit – they needed someone to believe in them.

‘As I’ve said before, you provide much more than a handout, at Smart Works you provide a hand held. Over the years, I’ve seen firsthand the unforgettable smile that comes across a woman’s face when she receives the Smart Works experience of care, inspiration, and empowerment.

‘Something changes for her in that moment and sets her on a path she may never have thought possible. At Smart Works, you are investing in the future of women, and as a result, the world. I am so grateful to all of you who make this work possible each and every day.

Celebrating you from across the pond and wishing you another amazing decade!’

Meghan has visited the charity several times – both before and after being named as its royal patron – and has a long-standing commitment to supporting women’s empowerment.

She launched a limited-edition clothing range to benefit the Smart Works charity in 2019. It featured a £19.50 dress from Marks & Spencer; a £109 John Lewis tote bag; a £120 shirt from Meghan’s designer friend Misha Nonoo; and a £199 jacket and £120 trousers, both from Jigsaw.

In 2022, Meghan announced a new partnership with the accessories brand Cuyana, which donated 500 tote bags to the charity.

Meghan was appointed as a patron of Smart Works in January 2019, back when she and Prince Harry were still residing in the UK

The mother-of-two shared a heartfelt message and wished the charity ‘another amazing decade’ from ‘across the pond’ 

Smart Works helps long-term unemployed and vulnerable women regain the skills, confidence and tools to succeed at job interviews, return to employment and transform their lives.

The statement comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation announced it has funded a project to help girls in Nigeria.

The charitable foundation, launched in 2020, has sponsored a project called The GEANCO Foundation, which provides school supplies and period products to girls and young women in the West African nation.

Meghan bonded with Nigerian athletes at the Invictus Games after finding out she had Nigerian roots and said she couldn’t wait to visit the country ‘for [her] mum and the kids’.

Meghan launched a limited-edition clothing range to benefit the Smart Works charity in 2019 with Meghan’s designer friend Misha Nonoo (left) 

A post on Archewell’s website noted the latest contribution from the Sussexes’ charity to the schoolgirls, offering them stationery, backpacks and menstrual products as they begin the new term.

The project comes after the Sussexes spent a week in Dusseldorf, Germany, for the Invictus Games 2023.

At the opening ceremony for the tournament, Prince Harry revealed that his wife would be lending its athletes her personal support after finding through a genealogy test that she is 43% Nigerian.

In the subsequent days, she was seen hugging a competitor and describing her as ‘my Nigerian sister’, before being introduced to further members of the team and the defence chief, who gave her a nickname – Amira Ngozi Lolo – she could use if she ever visits the country.

Amira is a warrior princess from a legend, Ngozi means ‘blessed’ and Lolo is ‘royal wife’.