Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle promises more time for Mumbai charity

As the 36-year-old former actress mingled with the 600 guests invited to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle yesterday, she told Mumbai-based Myna Mahila Foundation founder that she was looking forward to giving more time to the women’s empowerment charity.

“It was the highlight of the day, to meet the bride. She was as down to earth and as approachable as ever. She said that now she would be able to give more time to Myna and other humanitarian work,” said Suhani Jalota, who founded the charity nearly three years ago.

As a guest in the chapel and the lunchtime reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II soon after at St George’s Hall in the Castle, Jalota received lot of compliments for her pastel sari with Indian motifs. Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, who was among the guests as one of the bride’s close friends from the acting world, also bonded with her over her “very pretty” outfit and their mutual admiration for their mothers’ support in their lives.

Deborah Das and Archana Ambre, who had made their first ever plane journey for the royal wedding, described their day as a “once in a lifetime” opportunity as they shared ice-creams along with over 2,600 guests invited into the castle on the day.

The group is now set for a special fundraising event titled “Chaat for Change” at Calcutta Canteen in London on Monday evening, when Das and Ambre will be cooking up some Mumbai street food such as bhel puri and pau bhaaji to raise funds for the charity. The charity, founded in 2015, works on getting women talking about taboo issues such as menstrual hygiene. It provides employment to women from the urban slums of Mumbai, many of whom then also go door-to-door selling the low-cost sanitary napkins they produce.