Meghan Markle Announces Charity Partnership with Malala Yousafzai as As Ever Sales Support Girls’ Education
The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that 100 per cent of the net proceeds from As Ever jam and tea sales on October 11 will go to the Malala Fund, marking International Day of the Girl. The announcement follows a private afternoon tea with the Nobel Peace Prize winner at Claridge’s in London last week.
Meghan Markle and Malala Yousafzai have joined forces to support girls’ education, turning a recent meeting at one of London’s most prestigious hotels into a charitable initiative.
The Duchess of Sussex, 45, and the Pakistani education activist, 29, announced their partnership in a joint Instagram post on Sunday, October 11, sharing two photographs from their afternoon together at Claridge’s in Mayfair.
Under the initiative, all net proceeds from sales of jams and teas from Meghan’s As Ever brand made on International Day of the Girl will benefit the Malala Fund, which works to ensure that girls everywhere have access to free, safe and quality education.
The announcement comes just days after the pair were photographed warmly embracing outside the luxury hotel last Wednesday. Their meeting had attracted attention after fellow diners spotted them enjoying a traditional British afternoon tea.
In the newly shared photographs, the women smile together in front of an assortment of freshly baked cakes in one image, while another captures them holding hands.
Their joint statement underscored the importance of investing in girls’ futures.
“When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this,” Meghan and Malala said.
The statement continued: “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 post also included the playful message, “Tea for Two has never felt so good,” alongside an invitation to shop through the As Ever website, asever.com.
A shared commitment to girls’ education
The collaboration brings together two women who have previously spoken publicly about the importance of education and the opportunities it creates for young girls.
Meghan and Malala first connected in October 2020, when they took part in a virtual discussion to mark International Day of the Girl. Prince Harry also joined that conversation, which focused on the barriers preventing girls and young women from accessing education.
Founded in 2013, the Malala Fund campaigns for every girl to receive 12 years of free, safe and quality education. Its work focuses on countries and regions where girls face significant obstacles to schooling, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania.
Malala became an internationally recognised advocate for girls’ education after being shot by the Taliban in 2012 for speaking out in support of young women’s right to attend school. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17, becoming its youngest-ever recipient, and later studied at Oxford University.
Originally from Pakistan, Malala now lives in Birmingham.
For Meghan, the announcement represents a philanthropic initiative alongside her recent focus on launching products through As Ever. Her meeting with Malala has also prompted renewed attention to the Duchess’s charitable interests as she returns to the UK.
Inside Meghan and Malala’s afternoon tea at Claridge’s
The pair met in Claridge’s celebrated Foyer and Reading Room, a Mayfair dining destination known for its Art Deco interiors and live piano music.
Traditional afternoon tea at the hotel costs £95 per person, with champagne available for an additional £30. Meghan and Malala appeared to opt for tea and mineral water during their visit.
According to fellow diners, the women enjoyed classic afternoon tea fare, including cucumber sandwiches and scones served with jam and clotted cream.
A hotel insider said other guests discreetly took photographs as the pair chatted animatedly over their meal. Although both were described as polite, they reportedly had little interaction with other diners, with protection officers accompanying them throughout the visit.
Security was a visible feature of the outing. The source said the women were accompanied by security personnel, while police vehicles were spotted outside Claridge’s during their meeting. The vehicles were identifiable by their distinctive number plate lights.
The visit attracted particular interest because it is believed to have been Meghan’s first public appearance in central London since Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
Meghan and Harry had previously faced boos from some members of the public when they arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee several months earlier.
Although Meghan has passed through Heathrow Airport on several occasions since then, she is understood to have avoided central London amid continuing concerns about the couple’s security.
Meghan’s £28,000 outfit for the London meeting
Meghan’s appearance at Claridge’s also drew attention to her choice of designer clothing and accessories.
The Duchess wore a camel coat by Tove Studio, valued at £1,695, over a wheat-coloured cashmere sweater from Los Angeles-based label CO, priced at £630. She paired the pieces with white satin Masina trousers from Ralph Lauren, worth £1,700.
Her accessories included a black Chanel handbag valued at approximately £7,000 and ivory-and-tan Chris loafers by Saint Laurent, priced at £795.
Around her neck, Meghan wore Logan Hollowell’s Lovers Duet Diamond and Emerald Chain necklace, valued at £16,200.
Together, the pieces brought the cost of her outfit to just over £28,000.
Alongside the designer handbag, the Duchess also carried a canvas tote featuring a striking illustration of women wearing hijabs, providing a contrasting accessory to her luxury ensemble.
Security questions remain a point of contention for Harry and Meghan
The couple’s London appearance comes against the backdrop of their continuing dispute over police protection in the United Kingdom.
Harry and Meghan have sought taxpayer-funded police security in Britain, and the Duke previously brought an unsuccessful legal challenge over the arrangements for his protection while visiting from the United States.
The committee responsible for overseeing security arrangements for members of the Royal Family and other high-profile individuals, known as Ravec, is understood to be preparing to reconsider the level of police protection available to the couple now that they and their two children are full-time residents.
Their meeting at Claridge’s took place with security personnel present throughout, reflecting the attention surrounding the couple whenever they appear in public in Britain.
Revisiting Meghan and Malala’s 2020 conversation
The new partnership builds on the message Meghan and Malala shared during their virtual discussion in October 2020, held amid the Covid pandemic.
Speaking about the importance of education, Meghan argued that giving girls the opportunity to learn benefits society as a whole.
“When young girls have access to education, everyone wins, and everyone succeeds. It just opens the door for societal success at the highest level,” she said.
She also highlighted the role women can play in shaping public policy, legislation and their communities when they have a voice in important decisions.
“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,” Meghan explained.
She added that helping women find their voices must begin when they are girls.
Meghan also expressed concern about the number of girls missing out on education worldwide, noting that more than 130 million girls were out of school even before the pandemic. She warned that the figure could rise, with consequences extending beyond individual girls to their families, communities, countries and the wider world.
Reflecting on her own educational opportunities, she said she felt deeply grateful for the education she had received, even if she had not fully appreciated it at the time.
“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,” she said.
Malala echoed the sentiment after their conversation, saying the two women shared a common understanding of the importance of education.
“Meghan and I are on the same page: we both believe that when girls have access to education, everyone wins,” she said.
Their latest collaboration carries that shared message into a practical initiative, directing proceeds from As Ever’s jam and tea sales on International Day of the Girl towards the Malala Fund’s work supporting girls’ access to education.
