Meghan Markle Joins ’80s Music Legend For International Women’s Day Summit
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will be seated alongside an iconic female music legend, who reached the peak of her popularity in the 1980s and continues to be a driving force for women’s causes today, for a summit that will honor International Women’s Day 2019 in London.
Markle will speak alongside Eurthymics lead singer and songwriter Annie Lennox, as well as Adwoa Aboah, Angeline Murimirwa, Julia Gillard, Chrisann Jarrett, and the event’s Chairwoman Anne McElvoy as they discuss issues deeply affecting women today.
An official press release from the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust explained that Markle will “discuss the importance of International Women’s Day, and the spotlight it can bring to obstacles which still affect female empowerment across the world, including access to education and limitations within employment.”
Markle is part of this particular discussion not only for her powerful voice in championing women’s causes, a platform she took on prior to marrying Prince Harry in May 2018 but also because her husband is the president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. Her fellow panelists have also championed women’s causes in their respective fields.
Annie Lennox, an OBE (Order of the British Empire) honoree for her humanitarian work received the Nobel Woman of Peace Award in 2009 for her work on HIV/AIDS prevention and control for women and children. Adwoa Aboah is the co-founder of Gurls Talk, a social platform for women to open their hearts and minds in a safe and judgment-free environment.
On Friday 8th March The Duchess of Sussex will join a panel discussion convened by @QueensComTrust to mark #IWD2019
The event, hosted @KingsCollegeLon, will bring together a special panel of female thought-leaders and activists to discuss a range of issues affecting women today. pic.twitter.com/jnEkrzBxKh
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 1, 2019
On Friday 8th March Annie Lennox will join a panel discussion convened by The Queen's Commonwealth Trust to mark #IWD2019
— Annie Lennox (@AnnieLennox) March 1, 2019
Julia Gillard was Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013. Angeline Murimirwa is Executive Director of the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) in Africa and co-founder of CAMA, a network of young female leaders. Chrisann Jarrett has founded an equal access higher education campaign called “Let Us Learn.”
Markle has always been a champion for causes involving empowering young women. Harper’s Bazaar reported in 2017 that some of her causes included World Vision, where she was a Global Ambassador, the Myna Mahila Foundation, and One Young to name a few. She was also a member of the United Nations Women for Political Participation and Leadership, appearing on Larry King Live to talk about her work with the organization.
Markle famously took it upon herself after seeing what she believed to be a sexist advertisement on TV at the age of 11 to write letters to Hillary Clinton, Linda Ellerbee, Gloria Allred, and Procter & Gamble to change the commercial’s wording. The company changed the commercial’s statement, which initially was ‘”Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans” to “People all over America.”
The summit will be held on Friday, March 8 at Kings College, London.
