Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Archewell foundation has partnered with actor David Oyelowo as the duchess returned to an issue that has been close to her heart since before her royal wedding.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's non-profit has teamed up with GEANCO, which administers the David Oyelowo Leadership Scholarship For Girls.
The collaboration will focus on providing girls with school supplies and menstrual products, in an echo of work Meghan did on menstrual hygiene during a visit to India in early 2017, before her engagement to Prince Harry.
"If I decide to do something, I'm all in. And once I'm in, it's less about quantity and acceleration; it's more about quality and intention," Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 film Selma, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The project is reminiscent of some of Meghan's most high-profile charity work dating back to before she was a working royal.
The duchess visited Delhi and Mumbai in January 2017 with the charity World Vision. She then wrote an essay for Time in which she said she met "girls and women directly impacted by the stigmatization of menstrual health and to learn how it hinders girls' education."
"One hundred and thirteen million adolescent girls between the ages of 12-14 in India alone are at risk of dropping out of school because of the stigma surrounding menstrual health," she wrote.
"During my time in the field, many girls shared that they feel embarrassed to go to school during their periods, ill equipped with rags instead of pads, unable to participate in sports, and without bathrooms available to care for themselves, they often opt to drop out of school entirely.
"Furthermore, with minimal dialogue about menstrual health hygiene either at school or home due to the taboo nature of the subject, many girls believe their bodies are purging evil spirits, or that they are injured once a month; this is a shame-filled reality they quietly endure.
"All of these factors perpetuate the cycle of poverty and stunt a young girl's dream for a more prolific future."
Harry said in his book Spare that he warned Meghan before the visit to India not to pose in front of the Taj Mahal, where Princess Diana was famously pictured looking lonely during the collapse of her marriage to King Charles III.
"On the subject of India," Harry wrote, "we laughed about the advice I'd given Meg before she'd left: Do not take a photo in front of the Taj Mahal. She'd asked why and I'd said: My mum.
"I'd explained that my mother had posed for a photo there, and it had become iconic, and I didn't want anyone thinking Meg was trying to mimic my mother. Meg had never heard of this photo, and found the whole thing baffling, and I loved her for being baffled."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
