Duchess Meghan looked relax and at ease during her candid ‘backyard chat’ with activist Gloria Steinem, which was filmed in the garden of her LA home.
The conversation was made in collaboration with Makers, a women’s empowerment organisation, and released on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave white women the right to vote.
While the setting was relaxed, the conversation touched on some serious topics, including women’s rights, voter suppression and the global pandemic.
The Duchess also revealed that her husband, Prince Harry, proudly calls himself a feminist. “I love that when he just came in he said, ‘You know that I’m a feminist too, right Gloria?!” said the Duchess.
“I look at our son and what a beautiful example that he gets to grow up with a father who is so comfortable owning that as part of his own self-identification. That there’s no shame in being someone who advocates for fundamental human rights for everyone, which of course includes women,” she said.
Sharing the full conversation on Yahoo!, the 39-year-old Duchess of Sussex gushed over her friend Steinem.
“I keep thinking my goodness — I’ve looked up to you for so long! It’s wonderful to just be in your company, to learn so much and to feel inspired to be home. But also to help people remember why it’s so important to vote,” she said.
Steinem went on to speak about the importance of voting. “If you don’t vote you don’t exist. It’s the only place where we are all equal: in the voting booth. We not only have to vote but we have to fight to vote.”
The Duchess shared her concerns around voter suppression for people of colour. “If you’re a person of colour and you’re in line, for potentially hours on end, and during that time someone tries to intimidate you to tell you that you should get out of line because you might be under surveillance or any number of intimidation tactics that are so scary,” she said.
At one point, the pair spoke about a gift the Duchess had received from the activist, a bracelet that featured the motto “Linked not ranked.”
“It means everything to me on every level; we are linked not ranked,” said the Duchess.
The video is a recent example of how the Duchess is getting more politically active. She’s spoken publicly about the fact that she would be voting, which goes against the British royal tradition that senior members don’t vote.
Watch a teaser for the interview below.
