The reason for Meghan and Malala Yousafzai’s afternoon tea at Claridge’s has now been revealed, with the pair to collaborate for International Day of the Girl.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and the Nobel Peace Prize winner, 29, were captured sharing a warm embrace outside the luxury hotel in Mayfair last Wednesday.
The women had enjoyed a classic British afternoon tea with fellow diners saying they ate cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam and clotted cream.
And now the reason for their afternoon tea tete-a-tete has been revealed in a joint Instagram post on Sunday, with Meghan and Malala announcing their partnership alongside two photos of the pair at Claridge’s.
To celebrate International Day of the Girl on October 11, the Duchess announced that 100 per cent of the net proceeds from her As Ever jams and teas will go to the Malala Fund, which supports young female education.
In one of the photos, the women are seen beaming at the camera before an array of freshly baked cakes and tightly holding hands in the other.
Their joint statement read: ‘When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this.’ – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Malala Yousafzai.
‘This International Day of the Girl, in partnership with Archewell Philanthropies, 100 per cent of net proceeds from As Ever jams and teas will support Malala Fund and its vital work to ensure that every girl has access to free, safe, quality education.
The reason Meghan and Malala Yousafzai met for afternoon tea at Claridge’s has now been revealed, with the Duchess of Sussex to donate 100 per cent of the profits of her As Ever jams and teas to the Malala fund to mark the International Day of the Girl on Sunday
Meghan and Malala Yousafzai shared a joint statement on Instagram on Sunday to announce the partnership, alongside two photos of the pair enjoying afternoon tea
The pair were first linked in 2020 when they joined forces for a virtual discussion to mark International Day of the Girl, when they spoke about girls’ education
‘Tea for Two has never felt so good. Shop at asever.com.’
Meghan and Malala first joined forces in October 2020 for a virtual discussion on International Day of the Girl.
The Malala Fund, founded in 2013, aims to provide every girl with 12 years of free, safe and quality education.
It targets regions where young girls face severe educational barriers, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania.
To their afternoon tea tete-a-tete last week, Meghan wore a camel Tove Studio coat worth £1,695, a £630 cashmere sweater in wheat by LA-based label CO and Ralph Lauren’s £1,700 white satin Masina trousers.
She carried a black Chanel handbag worth around £7,000 and wore £795 Saint Laurent ivory and tan ‘Chris’ loafers.
Around her neck was Logan Hollowell’s Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace, valued at £16,200. Her entire outfit came to just more than £28,000.
Meghan and Prince Harry join activist Malala for a virtual chat to celebrate International Day of the Girl in 2020
In contrast to her Chanel arm candy, the Duchess also carried a canvas tote bag featuring a striking design depicting women wearing hijabs.
The London meet-up is believed to have been Meghan’s first public appearance in the capital since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
Months earlier Meghan and Prince Harry were met by some boos as they arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
While the Duchess has transited through Heathrow on several occasions since then, she is understood to have avoided central London during ongoing concerns about her security.
Malala, originally from Pakistan but now living in Birmingham, was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for speaking up about young female schooling and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 – the youngest ever recipient at 17 – before going to Oxford University.
Meghan’s focus over the past couple of weeks has been on the latest As Ever launches but this latest outing suggests she is preparing to return to philanthropic work now she is back in the UK.
Meghan and Malala dined in Claridge’s world-famous Foyer and Reading Room, where afternoon tea costs £95 per person. Champagne is available for £30 more but Malala, a Muslim who does not drink alcohol, and Meghan appeared to stick to tea and mineral water.
Set in the hotel’s famed Art Deco interiors and accompanied by live piano music, it is one of Mayfair’s most exclusive and celebrated dining rooms.
Fellow diners discreetly took photographs of the pair as they chatted animatedly over their meal, according to a hotel insider. The women were polite but barely interacted with other attendees as they were surrounded by protection officers.
The source said they were accompanied by security throughout the visit. Police vehicles were spotted outside Claridge’s during their meet-up, identifiable by their distinctive number plate lights.
The meeting comes amid Harry and Meghan’s ongoing battle to get taxpayer-funded police protection in Britain.
The couple previously mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge over Harry’s police security while he was visiting from the US.
It is understood now that the committee overseeing royal and VIP security, known as Ravec, is to reconsider the level of police protection now the couple and their two children are full-time residents.
Meghan and Malala’s discussion in 2020 came during the Covid pandemic, with Harry also joining the virtual talk on barriers to education for young women.
Meghan said on the call: ‘When young girls have access to education, everyone wins, and everyone succeeds. It just opens the door for societal success at the highest level.
‘What I had realised very early on was that when women have a seat at the table, conversations in terms of policy change, conversations in terms of legislation and the dynamics of the community are all shifted.
‘And when you have to see how you get a woman to embrace her voice, you have to start with where she is a young girl.’
‘To know there’s over 130million girls out of education right now, before the pandemic, and the numbers are only going to go up, it worries me, and it probably worries all of us, the effect that is going to have not just on the individual, but on the family, and community, for the country and the world at large.
‘I’m hugely grateful for the education I was lucky enough to have; at the time I certainly probably wasn’t as grateful, but looking back at it now, I’m very, very blessed with having such amazing options.’
Following their conversation, Malala said of the Duchess: ‘Meghan and I are on the same page: we both believe that when girls have access to education, everyone wins.’
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