The Duchess of Sussex’s estimated donations to a girls' charity from her As Ever tea and jam sales could be around £1,900, reportedly less than the cost of the outfit she wore to promote the partnership.
London appearance and partnership announcement
Meghan Markle made a high-profile appearance in London last Wednesday, after she was spotted enjoying tea with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai at Mayfair’s Claridge’s Hotel. The Duchess was dressed casually in a cream top with white palazzo trousers and a loose camel coat, paired with beige and brown pointed loafers and a dark Chanel bag, with the cost of her outfit estimated at around £19,000 ($25,000).
The two women were photographed by paparazzi as they exited the hotel, and Meghan posed for photos with women who spotted her while she was enjoying her tea. A few days later, Meghan announced the real reason behind the meeting in new pictures posted on her personal Instagram.
Donation estimates and reaction
A caption read: “‘When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this.’ – Meghan, Duchess of Sussex & Malala Yousafzai.”
It added: “This International Day of the Girl, in partnership with Archewell Philanthropies, 100% 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. Tea for Two has never felt so good. Shop at asever.com.”
Now, the Daily Mail’s Alishon Boshoff made an estimate of how much Meghan could have benefited Malala’s fund money-wise. The Duchess’s office declined to comment on sale figures.
Ms Boshoff said: “The answer seems to be a truly modest amount. Even a generous extrapolation from the only available data suggests that a day of tea and jam proceeds will add around £1,900 to the Malala Fund coffers. That wouldn’t even cover those arrestingly wide, white Ralph Lauren trousers Meghan wore to the Mayfair hotel.”
Sources close to the Duchess did not deny that the final amount could be that low but added that figures can only be “speculative” as As Ever does not share sales data. They added that Meghan’s support is a gift in itself as it could encourage others to do the same. Ms Boshoff added: “Meghan’s trousers worn for tea with Malala cost $2,247 (£1,696) and her cashmere sweater $832 (£628) – a total of £2,324.”
Upcoming joint engagement
It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to visit a youth and community charity in their first joint engagement since returning to the UK. The Community Recording Studio (CRS) in St Ann’s, Nottingham, was originally set up to give young people access to music and recording facilities and now offers them a range of creative activities to take part in, alongside sport, mentoring and youth development.
Harry and Meghan are expected to visit CRS on Thursday. They are set to get a first-hand look at the organisation, which aims to help young people facing poverty, instability, exploitation or violence build confidence and develop practical skills. Nottingham was where Harry and Meghan made their first joint appearance after announcing their engagement in 2017.
