She’s a duchess for the people, y’all.
On Friday morning, mom-to-be Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a planned appearance at the Old Vic Theater in Bristol, England, following up their visit with a surprise stop at charity One25, which provides outreach and support to women trying to escape sex work, addiction, homelessness, and poverty.
As The Telegraph reports, after meeting with volunteers, Meghan decided to jump right in, assisting the team in putting together care packages to be delivered to those in need—and putting her own personal touch on each.
“I saw this project this woman had started somewhere in the States on a school lunch program. On each of the bananas she wrote an affirmation, to make the kids feel really, like, empowered,” Meghan explained, asking for a marker to write messages on the bananas included in the packages. “It was the most incredible idea, this small gesture.”
Royally declaring herself “in charge of the banana messaging,” she wrote simple, but loving messages on each peel: “You are special,” “You are strong,” “You are brave,” and “You are loved.”
A former sex worker-turned-volunteer named Sam said: “I can imagine being on the van, and [hearing] ‘Meghan wrote this thing, and what?’ I think they might not eat it. I think that banana would be at home until it is rotten. Because I would do the same.”
“The plight of our women is often very much misunderstood, and they are stigmatized and hidden from the world,” said Anna Smith, CEO of One125.
Proving that the duchess has married her perfect match, Prince Harry also had words of honesty and compassion to offer, saying: “When you were being groomed at such a young age, and this is the only thing you know, you completely lose faith in society. You lose trust in every man, and probably everyone else around you. From a mental health perspective, you are broken.”