Meghan Markle has paid tribute to her “friend and mentor” Gloria Steinem, sharing a previously unseen photograph of the feminist icon with Prince Archie following her death at the age of 92.
The Duchess of Sussex posted three images on Instagram in memory of Steinem, who died peacefully at her home in New York City on Wednesday, September 2, surrounded by people who loved her. Her foundation did not disclose a cause of death. ([abcnews.com](https://abcnews.com/US/feminist-icon-journalist-gloria-steinem-dies/story?id=82183161&utm_source=openai))
One of the photographs showed Steinem reaching towards Archie, now seven, during a visit to Meghan and Prince Harry’s California home. The child’s face was concealed with a white heart in the framed image.
Meghan wrote that Steinem had loved Archie and his younger sister, Princess Lilibet, “with her whole heart”, and described the activist as someone who had supported her through difficult periods in her life.
“Celebrating the life and legacy of my friend and mentor, Gloria Steinem,” Meghan wrote, adding that she was grateful Steinem had known “exactly how loved and admired she was”.
She recalled how their relationship had developed over five years, beginning with a filmed conversation about women’s rights and voter representation during the coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting took place in the garden of Meghan’s home in Montecito in 2020, after the pair discovered they lived about 45 minutes apart. Meghan and Steinem sat in wooden deckchairs as they discussed the importance of political participation and the work required to improve women’s lives.
In one of the images shared by Meghan, Steinem is pictured alongside the Duchess, with Meghan’s late beagle Guy resting nearby. Another photograph showed the two women embracing during Meghan’s visit to New York in March.
Meghan said their public work had included interviews, encouraging young voters to participate in elections and attending award ceremonies. Privately, she said, Steinem had spent Thanksgiving with her family, offered advice over cups of tea and introduced her to one of her closest friends.
“But privately, she was even better than you would imagine,” Meghan wrote. “She was loving our children with her whole heart, counselling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivalled cheekiness and wit.”
Meghan Markle recalls Gloria Steinem’s advice
Meghan also shared what she called her favourite story about Steinem. She said a woman once approached the activist in New York and asked to introduce her young daughter, while apologising that the child might not know who she was.
Steinem’s response, as recalled by Meghan, was: “It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who she is.”
The friendship was formed after the pair appeared together for Makers Women, with Steinem greeting Meghan by saying: “Welcome home.” They later gave a joint interview to Vogue in 2022, following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
Steinem also presented Meghan with a Women of Vision award in New York in 2023. During their work together, she encouraged the Duchess to support the campaign for Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which seeks to guarantee equal legal rights for American citizens regardless of sex.
Meghan said a bracelet Steinem had given her, engraved with the words “We are linked, not ranked”, continued to hold deep significance. “I still wear it with pride,” she wrote. ([perspectivemedia.com](https://www.perspectivemedia.com/meghan-pays-tribute-to-friend-and-mentor-gloria-steinem/?utm_source=openai))
Steinem was a leading figure in the US women’s movement and co-founded Ms. Magazine. Tributes have since been paid by prominent figures including former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, who described her as an architect of women’s equality. ([cbsnews.com](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gloria-steinem-dies-age-92-feminist-ms-magazine/?ftag=CNM-00-10aag7e&utm_source=openai))
