MEGHAN Markle appeared to be starstruck as she sat down with feminist icon Gloria Steinem for a garden chat about women’s rights.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, met with the political activist, 86, for the conversation which was filmed last month for feminist platform Makers Women.
In a black and white clip released on social media, Meghan expressed admiration for Gloria’s work in fighting for gender equality and they discuss the importance of voting.
She gushed: “People forget how hard women like you and so many others have fought for us just to be where we are right now.”
The author replies: “If you don’t vote you don’t exist, it is the only place we’re all equal, the voting booth.”
The two sat opposite one another in wooden chairs, keeping socially distant as they were separated by a table in a lush back garden.
Appearing to be starstruck by the activist, Meghan says “today is a pretty great day, for me it’s a pretty great day” as they bond over their shared views.
Meghan and Gloria are even joined by the Duchess’s beloved dogs Pula, a black Labrador, and Guy, a beagle, as they wander into frame to sit at her feet.
Gloria jokes the pooches “want to be on camera”.
Looking laid back and relaxed, the clip is a change of pace from the video conference calls and virtual summits she has been doing amid the pandemic.
The one minute 41 second video is a teaser for a full question and answer session which will be streamed on Wednesday.
It is unclear where the clip was filmed, but the presence of the dogs may suggest it was Meghan and Prince Harry’s new £11million nine bedroom home in Montecito, California.
Gloria was one of the most prominent figures of the Women Liberation’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
In the video, Steinem confesses that she is concerned about youth attitudes to voting.
She also adds her activism work was “no sacrifice”.
“What worries me the most are young people, who I understand are the least likely to vote,” she said
“I can understand the feeling that they don’t think they have an impact, and yet it’s more important for them to vote because they’re going to be alive long after I am.
“They’re going to be suffering the consequences…(but) movements are families, it’s no sacrifice.
“I get to do what I love and care about every day of my life, how great is that?”
Makers have billed the Q&A session as a “historic backyard chat” as they shared the teaser clip on Twitter.
LA-born Meghan has been using her platform to encourage people to vote ahead of the upcoming US presidential election in November.
US President Donald Trump is facing a close-run race with Democratic rival Joe Biden, with the battlelines redrawn amid the coronavirus pandemic mass protests over racism in the US.
The Duchess courted controversy last week when she was a a surprise guest on Michelle Obama’s When All Women Vote event on Thursday.
She appeared to take a dig at Trump, saying: “We all know what’s at stake.”
Meghan added: “If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
“If you are complacent, you are complicit.”
She added: “This fight is worth fighting and we all have to be out there mobilising to have our voices heard.
“We can make a difference in this election and we will make a difference in this election.”
It’s not the first time that Meghan has had strong words for the US President.
Meghan detailed why she didn’t like Trump in a 2016 interview on US talk show, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, ahead of his election win.
She said: “It’s really the moment I go. We film Suits in Toronto and I might just stay in Canada.
“Yes, of course, Trump is divisive, think about female voters alone, right?”
Trump previously called Meghan “nasty” over the comment during an interview with HOAR in the Oval Office.
Meghan and Harry have refocused their activism since quitting the Royal Family and moving to the US with their son Archie.
