Meghan Markle marked International Day of the Girl this year with more than a social media post. On October 11, she shared photos from a tea with Malala Yousafzai to introduce a new partnership between the two.
Jam, tea, and a cause
Through Archewell Philanthropies, the charitable arm behind Harry and Meghan's work, all net proceeds from the jams and teas sold under Meghan's lifestyle brand, As Ever, will now go toward the Malala Fund's push to get every girl access to free, safe education. Meghan and Yousafzai framed the partnership plainly in a joint statement: 'When we support the girls of today, we empower the women of tomorrow. Access to education is the key to unlocking this.'
The announcement followed an earlier, quieter meetup. On October 7, the two were seen having tea at Claridge's in Mayfair, one of Meghan's first public outings in London since she and her family moved back from California in August. A source initially told ABC News the two were simply catching up as friends, though it is now clear the visit had a second purpose.
A brand built for this
As Ever launched in February 2025 as an extension of Meghan's long-running interest in cooking, gardening, and entertaining, developed first in partnership with Netflix. Its debut collection included fruit preserves, herbal teas, honey, and baking mixes, giving her an existing product line to redirect toward the new cause.
The Malala Fund, founded in 2013, concentrates its education advocacy in countries including Brazil, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania. Speaking on an ELLE panel earlier this year, the fund's chief external affairs officer, Parampreet Singh, put the stakes in economic terms: 'When you invest in a girl's education, you're not just investing in that one girl. You're investing in her future. You're also investing in her family, in her community, you're investing in a country's GDP.'
A second cause in the same post
Meghan used the same announcement to introduce a special-edition sweatshirt stitched with the phrase 'it's the little things,' made in collaboration with Moms Offering More, a community initiative backed by the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation that supports underserved youth and families across the U.S. and Canada. All proceeds from that item go to the group as well. 'All of those little things can ladder up to big support,' Meghan wrote.
