Meghan: A Hollywood Princess(41)
She was still raving about the collection when she appeared on Joe Zee’s streaming fashion program on Yahoo! Style. The duo went back years, from the time they first met in 2011 drinking and shooting the breeze until late into the night. What Joe liked about Meghan was that she was decidedly un-Hollywood; she appreciated people other than herself.
In between the glitz and the glamour her advocacy for UN Women continued, undertaking further meetings at the World Bank and the Clinton Foundation and learning more about the facts and figures of gender bias in the developing world and, for that matter, her own country. While she had always had a thoughtful side, these days her friends noticed that she seemed more considered, more seasoned, and more appreciative too of the advantages she had been given and the opportunity to make a difference. In the days when she was scrabbling to gain a foothold on the elusive ladder of success, her time was taken up not with causes but with endless auditions, simply trying to make a living. Her acting success coupled with her voice on The Tig had given her the opportunity to focus on the issues that concerned her. Gender equality had always been near the top of her priority list: witness her first letter-writing campaign regarding the advertising for dishwashing soap.
She traveled to London to support actor Emma Watson in her #HeForShe initiative, the Harry Potter actor holding a live Facebook event to engage her fans in the campaign. Then it was Meghan’s turn to take center stage in front of a friendly but awe-inspiring audience. Meghan took a deep breath and focused. She was about to hit a personal milestone. Her mom and friends were there to support her in front of global luminaries like UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, UN executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, actor Patricia Arquette, her UN mentor Elizabeth Nyamayaro as well as Hillary Clinton (who, ironically, the same day overshadowed Meghan’s remarks with her comments about her controversial use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state).
On March 10, a day that she will always remember, the LA Valley Girl was about to speak before the United Nations as the newly appointed UN Women Advocate for Leadership and Political Participation.
Understandably Meghan’s voice sounded a little higher, as the normally nerveless actor opened her speech: “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist, and this evening I am extremely proud to stand before you on this significant day, which serves as a reminder to all of us of how far we’ve come, but also amid celebration a reminder of the road ahead…”
She told her story of the LA riots, her schoolroom, Ivory dishwashing liquid, and the chauvinist little boys at her school, of how she wrote to Procter & Gamble, women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred, journalist Linda Ellerbee, and former First Lady Hillary Clinton. The putative presidential candidate smiled at that. She spoke inspiringly of how her letter made a difference and how she felt that she had helped, in her small way, to make the change.
She took aim at the weak representation of women in the world’s parliaments, citing data showing the number of women lawmakers had increased only 11 percent since 1995. “Eleven percent in twenty years. Come on. This has to change,” she said to applause.
As Meghan concluded, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon led the standing ovation. Could there be anything better? It was quite the accolade, one that would resonate as her speech was played in numerous schoolrooms around America, inspiring and provoking a new generation of young girls to make a difference.
“Meghan Markle has helped raise global attention to gender equality issues,” said a spokeswoman for UN Women afterward. “UN Women trusts and hopes that in her new and important public role she will continue to use her visibility and voice to support the advancement of gender equality.”
She appeared to have it all: she was a young, beautiful, articulate campaigner with a tasteful, on-trend website and a successful TV career. Curiously, her speech to UN Women seemed to be the high-water mark of her involvement with the international organization. Once they officially appointed her an advocate, it seems that her charity work on their behalf tapered off considerably.
Nonetheless the invitations to represent the issues she cared about or to appear on chat shows now started to come in thick and fast. As a spokesperson for gender equality and a cable TV star, it was only natural for her to be asked to host the Women in Cable Telecommunications 2015 signature luncheon. Maria E. Brennan, WICT’s chief executive, explained the choice, saying: “Meghan is a sterling example of someone who not only plays a strong female character, she is one in real life.”
Chat show host Larry King invited her back on his show—previously she had talked Suits with Patrick J. Adams—to talk about her role as a women’s rights advocate. Meghan was proving her skills at diplomacy, deftly deflecting Larry King’s question about which country had the worst record of human rights by saying that we have to take into account cultural differences.
Hand in hand with her humanitarian work were the undoubted perks of being a glamorous TV star. As her celebrity status rose, so did her price tag. She was learning that she could charge a fee just for turning up. Turbo-charging these opportunities for her was Kruger Cowne World, a speaking, branding, and hosting agency with headquarters in Chelsea, Central London, and offices in Santa Monica.
The agency, founded in 1999, represents a whole range of celebrities such as Virgin boss Richard Branson, Cher, and Sir Bob Geldof as well as charities like One Young World, where Meghan had spoken. The skin care line Clarins and the Pakistani poet Fatima Bhutto were also clients who were frequently name-checked by the actor. Meghan’s rate? Twenty thousand dollars and up per appearance.