Meghan makes plea for women’s empowerment ‘everywhere in the world’
The Duchess of Sussex has called on women “to challenge everywhere in the world” as she met leading faces from Moroccan society.
Meghan’s message to women across the globe came as she attended the British ambassador’s reception with Harry and turned on the glamour by wearing a Moroccan inspired Dior outfit.
Among the guests invited by Thomas Reilly, Britain’s top diplomat in Morocco, were young leaders, business representatives, the military and other influential people from girls’ education, sport and sustainable tourism.
The duchess, who earlier had a henna tattoo painted on her left hand which had now faded, told a group of female executives and entrepreneurs: “Women have to challenge everywhere in the world”.
Meghan has made women’s empowerment a key part of her campaigning work and during the day she and Harry visited the NGO Education For All, which provides secondary education for girls from the remote Atlas mountains who would miss out due to cultural and economic reasons.
The duchess’ comment was in response to Meriem Bensalah, chief executive of a finance and agricultural firm called the Holmarcom Group.
She told the royal that Moroccan women had made great advances towards equality but still faced disadvantages, the business executive adding: “We were discussing how there are still many boundaries all over the world.”
The heavily pregnant duchess had her left hand decorated by a student with a floral henna design when she visited Education For All’s teaching centre in the Atlas mountains town of Asni.
Samira Ouaadi, 17, who is receiving secondary education thanks to the NGO, created the design which was a good luck gesture for Meghan and Harry’s baby.
The artwork had faded by the time the duchess appeared at the reception in the capital Rabat with only a pale pattern visible.
When the duke and duchess, who are on a three-day visit to Morocco, first walked into the ambassador’s official residence, they were given a traditional rosewater greeting, where the fragrant liquid was poured into their hands and they wiped them dry on a towel.
On hand to greet them was the ambassador’s physiotherapist wife Leah Reilly and earlier his two daughters, Orla, 12 and Elsa, eight, had presented the duchess with two bouquets.
Afterwards Orla said: “We were quite nervous meeting them but they were really nice.
“Prince Harry asked us if we lived here all the time or whether this was a temporary house and asked us if we had parties like this every week, which we don’t otherwise it would be a lot of work.”
