Meghan Markle: 40×40 project 'patronising' says Neesom

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Royal experts have question Meghan Markle over her treatment of the Duchess of Cambridge in light of her new charity initative announcement. Meghan’s 40×40 initiative promises to help unemployed, vulnerable women, and yet the Duchess launched a “prominent” attack on her defenceless sister-in-law in March. 

Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine said: “This whole narrative that the Sussexes are trying to build of ‘we’re very caring and loving people’, the way they’ve behaved over the last 6 to 12 months towards their own family has been the opposite of loving and caring.

“They have shown that they are quite ruthless manipulators of their image.

“I think that’s why I really don’t buy it, it’s show not tell.”

Royal commentator Richard Eden agreed, telling Palace Confidential: “Certainly, this is all about helping women but look at the women that’s been closest to Meghan.

“We talk about the Duchess of Cambridge, she was publicly attacked in the most prominent way in the Oprah interview and couldn’t defend herself at all.”

During Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, she spoke about her rumoured rift with Kate and the speculation that she had made her sister-in-law cry. 

She revealed that the opposite in fact had happened, and that the Duchess of Cambridge had made her upset in a spat over flower girl dresses. 

Meghan told Oprah: “It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings, and I thought in the context of everything else that was going on in those days leading to the wedding that it didn’t make sense to not be just doing what everyone else was doing, which was try to be supportive, knowing what was going on with my dad and whatnot.”

She later said that Kate had “owned it” and had brought her flowers and a note to apologise. 

Speaking of the media speculation about their supposed rift, Meghan stated her belief that the press and public wanted to create “a hero and a villain” narrative. 

The Duchess of Sussex argued: “If you love me you don’t have to hate her, and if you love her, you don’t need to hate me.”

Throughout her time as a working royal, reports would often suggest that the two Duchesses had not built a strong relationship. 

Their husbands, Prince Harry and Prince William, would also argue in the autumn of 2018 in an apparent confrontation over Meghan’s treatment of household staff. 

Prince Harry later characterised his relationship with his older brother as “space” and said they were “on different paths”. 

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Meghan Markle’s latest project 40×40 was announced as part of her 40th birthday celebrations through the couple’s non-profit organisation Archewell. 

Speaking in a video with actress Melissa McCarthy, the Duchess explained it was aimed at helping women “mobilising back into the workforce”. 

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, tens of millions of women have left their jobs for reasons such as childcare and schooling, with 2 million women in the US alone facing this issue. 

The Duchess has called on “40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders” to dedicate 40 minutes of their time to mentor a woman and help them advance their professional life. 

Influential figures such as Adele, Stella McCartney and Hillary Clinton have announced that they will be participating in the initative. 

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