Meghan Markle says ‘as women it’s easy to forget your skills and assets’ in Smartworks video call

The Duchess of Sussex spoke to three women Karla, Charlene and Agnieszka

Meghan Markle has appeared in a video with three women to congratulate them on getting new jobs as part of her work with the Smartworks charity.

The Duchess of Sussex spoke to the women, Karla, Charlene and Agnieszka, in September via video conferencing call from her new home in Santa Barbara, California.  

In the video, in which Meghan is wearing a white blazer and her hair in a ponytail, she says to the women that much of what the charity does is about giving confidence.

“As women so often it’s easy to forget all of your skills and your assets - not that they’re not there - but you need someone to point them out for you, that’s critical,” she told the three women, based in the UK. 

Smartworks, which gives free job interview training and clothes for women to wear when job hunting, is one of the organisations the Duchess is still patron of.

In the video, Meghan tells the women how pleased she is for them that they have found new roles: “All of that stuff [the Smartworks clothes] is the exterior but what it does for you on the inside that makes it the best accessory,” she says.

She continues: “The women who volunteer at Smartworks with the mentorship, they’re not pointing out something that doesn't exist they’re seeing it in you.”

The video marked the first anniversary of the Duchess launching the Smart Set Capsule collection alongside the charity in 2019.

Launched in partnership with four leading fashion brands; John Lewis & Partners, Marks & Spencer, Jigsaw and Misha Nonoo, the collection was designed to “create a perfect working wardrobe for Smart Works clients”.

The collection included a white shirt, a blazer, a pair of formal trousers, a dress and tote bag.

For a two-week period, every item sold to a paying customer in one of the stores resulted in a free copy being given to another woman in need, to help her get back into the workplace.

In the last year over 1,000 women have taken clothing items from the Smartworks charity.  

Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, have both continued their charity patronages despite having stepped down as senior members of the royal family.