Remember Meghan Markle’s 40×40 initiative? A couple of weeks ago, it was the second-best news in the royal world – coming closely after the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet Diana. Though it’s been a while since its announcement was made, the 40×40 initiative is still making headlines in one way or another.
The Suits star broke her announcement with a video featuring the talented comedian Melissa McCarthy. The duo chatted on video call as Melissa attempted to guess what her ex-royal friend had planned for her birthday, each attempt funnier than the last. But, that wasn’t all. A juggling Prince Harry, who stood staring at his wife from the other side of the window, got quite a few laughs too.
Melissa McCarthy Recalls the Announcement Video
When speaking on the British morning show Lorraine, McCarthy commented that Prince Harry had entered the room before she could even lay eyes on him. As soon as he stepped into the room, Meghan broke away from her conversation with McCarthy and with a wide-eyed smile said ‘Hi’ to her husband of 3 years. McCarthy recalls that just the way Meghan’s whole face lit up all of a sudden made her think, ‘did Prince Harry just walk in the room?’
McCarthy also mentioned that the juggling idea was all Prince Harry, adding that the off-the-wall suggestion was the only thing she needed to connect with the Prince. The Oscar nominee is all about weird – especially people who are weird just for weird’s sake.
But Wait, What’s the 40×40 Initiative?
Owing to the difficulty and pressure that the pandemic bore on people, especially women, Markle thought her 40th birthday to be the best time to give back to women in the workforce. The ILO states that while tens of millions of women lost their job to the pandemic, fewer women than men will be successful in gaining it back.
To help women combat this societal injustice, Markle enlisted the help of 40 friends, activists, athletes, and artists. The crux of the 40×40 initiative is for these experts to give 40 minutes of their time mentoring a woman looking to rejoin the workforce.
Wrapping It Up
The new parents are currently taking some time off to be just with family and tend to their youngest member. Indeed, the entertainer-turned-activist will return to the workforce shortly herself. Only recently, the parents showed up for their first joint engagement since Lilibet’s birth at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City. We can only assume that there’ll be more of such sightings to come.
