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To celebrate her 40th birthday on August 4, Meghan Markle announced that she would be launching a mentoring program for women looking to enter back into the workforce following the pandemic. Titled 40×40, the foundation was described in a press release as, “a global effort encouraging people around the world to commit to giving 40 minutes of their time to support women going back to work.” However, just 2 weeks after the project was announced, it has been rumored to be falling flat, with the Duchess labelled “tone deaf” as she “lectures” women about re-entering the workforce.
A royal expert spoke out this week, revealing that the project is struggling to take off following Markle’s first address to the women she was meant to be mentoring, claiming that the Duchess has made the program “all about her.” According to royal biographer Duncan Larcombe, British women have not taken well to Markle “lecturing” them about returning to work from her $11 million mansion, and the initiative is allegedly flopping.
Speaking to True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, he shared, “It's great, she's doing that, she's just had a baby, and it's all about Meghan, and it's all rubbish frankly. It's gone down so badly in this country.” He then continued, sharing, “This initiative is nonsense, she should be spending her time trying to build bridges with the very people that she and Harry have betrayed...That's what I think most people in this country believe.” The last comment was in reference to the rocky relationship Markle shares with the rest of the royal family after she and Prince Harry made their official exit from royal life in January 2020 to move to California.
Markle did, however, have pure intentions behind the initiative, writing on her birthday, “In the past two years, and in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of millions of women around the world have left the workforce, including over two million women in the US. So many of these women are also shouldering the brunt of the crisis when it comes to unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members. And the latest research shows that fewer women than men will regain work as we recover from the pandemic.”
Markle has planned to bring on 40 successful and intelligent women to spend 40 minutes of their time sharing tips on how to return to work, hoping to bolster the spirits of women who took time off during the duration of the pandemic. While the future of the mentoring initiative is unclear, Markle undoubtedly intended to help boost spirits and create a positive experience on returning to the workforce. Slightly tone-deaf in delivery, there’s still time for reception to warm to the 40-year-old’s most recent project.
