At a glance…
- Feminist and political activist Gloria Steinem has passed away at the age of 92.
- Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, was a friend and frequent collaborator of Gloria’s.
- The Duchess shared a tribute and her favourite memory of Gloria in a heartfelt post.
When the news broke of the great Gloria Steinem dying yesterday, tributes to the iconic feminist came in earnest from people across the globe, among them Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
“Celebrating the life and legacy of my friend and mentor, Gloria Steinem, and also grateful to know that in these last few weeks and days she knew exactly how loved and admired she was,” Meghan wrote in her tribute.
“You all know her many accolades and the way in which she helped shape the world for women and all people – “we are linked, not ranked” she would tell me, and the bracelet she gave me said exactly that. I still wear it with pride.”
Meghan and Gloria frequently worked and were photographed together, which the Duchess mentions in her post. They first met when Meghan and Prince Harry moved to Montecito and discovered they lived close to one another. The two women collaborated on a campaign with Makers Women to get young voters to get out and vote.
“People forget how hard women like you and so many others before you fought for us to just be where we are right now,” Meghan says in a video shared by Markers.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t exist,” Gloria responds. “What worries me the most are young people, who I understand are the least likely to vote, and I can understand the feeling that they don’t think they have an impact, and yet it’s more important for them to vote than anyone else because they’re going to be alive long after I am, and they’re going to be suffering the consequences.”
Afterwards, the two women developed a friendship. Gloria presented Meghan with a 2023 Women of Vision award in recognition of her work to encourage and empower young women.
“I think Meghan has been subject to the British tabloids,” Gloria told Town & Country, “So people may not know just how wonderful she is.”
In her tribute, Meghan shares that Glo (as she called her) was an intimate friend.
“Privately, she was even better than you would imagine,” Meghan shared. “Spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counselling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivalled cheekiness and wit.”
Meghan also writes about her favourite memory of Gloria when she was approached by a woman and her daughter in New York, and the woman was embarrassed that her daughter didn’t know who Gloria was.
“Gloria replied: “It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is.””
Share this post