‘We’re Behind You Every Step of the Way.’ Meghan Markle Has An Inspiring Message for Young Women

When Meghan Markle was an 11-year old girl, she saw an ad that she thought was sexist. So she wrote a letter to Procter & Gamble, the makers of the ad for Ivory dishwashing soap that declared, “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans.” As People reports, the company ended up changing their slogan from “women all over America” to “people all over America” and Markle saw the power that one girl can have in making the world a better place.

Now, as the Duchess of Sussex, she is still using her voice to shine a light on discrimination and trying to make the world a better place for women and girls everywhere. To mark International Day of the Girl, Markle used a clip of herself as an 11-year old, talking about her experience making a difference, in the hopes of inspiring other young girls to take action.

“Every girl has potential,” the Duchess of Sussex says in the video, which was shared on her family’s @SussexRoyal Instagram account. “She has promise. She has the right to learn, the right to be heard, the right to play and to discover. The right to be exactly who she is.”

As Markle delivers her message, the video shows highlights of the recent trip that Markle took with her husband, Prince Harry, as well as the clip showing her as a young girl, speaking out. The video ends with Markle saying, “Keep shining brightly. Know your worth and know that we are behind you every step of the way.”

The video’s caption also shared a quote that Markle delivered in a speech in Cape Town: “Visualize your highest self, and show up as her.” The caption concludes, “To all of the young girls reading this today on International Day of the Girl, that quote is for you.”