The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, recently hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for Afghan women through the Southern California Welcome Project, an initiative of the Archewell Foundation. This occasion is one of several solo engagements she has undertaken amidst rumors of professional adjustments with her spouse, Prince Harry.
The Duchess, aged 43, was present at the small gathering at Our Place, an organization established by Shiza Shahid. Here, attendees shared personal narratives and cultural experiences while cooking traditional Afghan meals like Ashak and Mantuu. Markle appreciated the cultural exchange.
In an official statement released through the Archewell Foundation, Markle expressed gratitude for the event, stating, “This initiative, led by the partner organization Mina’s List, has spent the past year building community through storytelling and creating a safe space for women who have resettled in the U.S. from Afghanistan.”
The event spotlighted the ongoing work of Mina’s List, which has been collaborating with women activists and political leaders in Afghanistan since 2014. This organization has assisted in evacuating and resettling over 2,000 Afghan women and families through independent and collective actions from 2021 onwards.
While Markle was hosting the dinner in California, her husband Prince Harry, aged 40, was engaged with Invictus Games-related events in Vancouver, Canada. The couple has been participating in separate engagements more frequently in recent times.
However, despite their separate schedules, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to jointly support various causes. They recently appeared together in a video on Veterans Day, highlighting the Archewell Foundation’s initiatives for children’s online safety.
The Archewell Foundation continues to leave a substantial footprint through its numerous initiatives. Some of their recent achievements include providing 3,176 hours of trauma-informed mental health support to individuals in Turkey following an earthquake, distributing menstrual products and health education to 2,500 girls in Nigeria, and uniting 237 women through The Welcome Project.
Residing in Montecito, California with Prince Harry and their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, Markle has previously expressed her fondness for Thanksgiving celebrations. In an interview with Marie Claire magazine, she mentioned that the holiday is usually “pretty low-key” for their family, often including her mother, Doria Ragland.
Both Meghan and Harry are scheduled to attend the Invictus Games in Canada in February 2025. The Duchess has hinted that their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who usually stay away from the limelight, may also be in attendance.
