CONVERSATION HEARTS

Meghan Markle Wrote Personal “Affirmations” on Some Bananas During a Tour of a Bristol Charity

Markle was apparently inspired by a Virginia Beach cafeteria manager who went viral last year.


Meghan Markle
TOBY MELVILLE/Getty Images

Meghan Markle has very nice handwriting. You know how we know that? Because, on Friday, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry made an unannounced visit to the Bristol-based charity One25, an organization aimed at helping women in crisis, including sex work, poverty, homelessness, and addiction. Their tour of the facility brought them to the kitchen, where employees were in the process of assembling packed lunches for women in need—including an apple, a muffin, a Cadbury bar, a packet of crisps, a drink bottle, and a banana. Markle asked for a permanent marker, and proceeded to write “an affirmation” across the length of each banana: “You are strong”; “You are special”; “You are loved.” And, though just quickly scrawled, the words looked pretty good! Even block capitals, a little flourish on the “L” in “loved.”

During her visit, Markle explained the inspiration for her bright yellow missives: “I saw this project that this woman had started somewhere in the States, in a school lunch program,” she said, according to a video taken in the kitchen and posted to the Royal Family Channel Twitter. “On each of the bananas, she wrote an affirmation or something to make the kids feel really, like, empowered, and I thought it was the most incredible idea. It’s such a small gesture,” she went on. (As The Cut pointed out, she’s likely referring to the “talking bananas” that a cafeteria manager distributed at a Virginia Beach elementary school; the gesture went viral late last year.)

One25 was just one stop in a packed day spent touring Bristol for the royal couple: They also made their way to the city’s Old Vic theater—perhaps granting Markle another opportunity to return to her thespian roots—and met children from the Abbeywood preschool, according to royals reporter Omid Scobie. It was not an announced part of their itinerary, but, as the organization’s CEO, Anna Smith, told Scobie, “the women we support are often hidden from society and this visit shines a light on the enormous challenges they face and the incredible strength they have.” The hope, apparently, is that the royal tour will heighten the charity’s profile (and fundraising efforts), allowing it to expand its programming—and, perhaps, expand the reach of its customized bananas.