Meghan Markle under fire for ‘wishy, washy’ Procter & Gamble deal and ‘needs to take action rather than use woke words’
MEGHAN Markle today came under fire for her new Procter & Gamble deal, with a royal expert suggesting the Duchess will need more than just woke words for her latest venture.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation yesterday announced a multi-year global partnership with Procter & Gamble.
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
Their partnership aims to “put a priority focus on gender equity” with the couple on a mission to “build a more equitable and just future for women and girls”.
In a statement, the Archewell Foundation said it believes that “with community, and through compassionate service to others, we can unleash systemic cultural change”.
But Royal expert Angela Levin said Meghan and Harry will need to work hard to pull off such change.
“What they are doing is taking on a huge amount of responsibility,” she told The Sun Online.
“I don’t mean actually the work but you’ve got to give back – for the money you earn you have to give back something.
“You can’t just keep using the words gender equality and compassion.
“You’ve got to be able to do things, not say what will be done or how they will be helping and not actually do the practical stuff.
“It’s all about telling everybody else what to do and not very much quietly or thoroughly doing it.”
In a statement, the Sussexes’ foundation wrote: “Through Archewell Foundation, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a mission to build a more equitable and just future for women and girls.
“In this partnership, Archewell Foundation and P&G will put a priority focus on gender equity.”
Angela said Meghan “might advise [Procter & Gamble] what people of today – woke people – would like them to put out”.
But she questioned the level of influence she and Harry will have on the billion dollar giant through the “wishy washy” deal.
“I think it’s all wishy washy as usual. There’s a fog around a lot of what they do and I think this is another foggy deal.
“[Meghan] has sort of said ludicrous things like ‘want to elevate the voice of adolescents and girls to make sure their point of view and lived experiences are heard at the table where decisions are made’.
“How is that going to happen?
“Adolescent girls go to school – are they going to be invited to board meetings? It doesn’t make sense. Are the senior executives going to listen to this?”
Procter & Gamble is best known for owning major brands such as Crest, Oral B, Gillette, Pampers and Tampax, with its vast business portfolio including baby, feminine and family care, beauty, fabric and home care, shaving products and healthcare.
And when Meghan was 11, she wrote to the corporation to object to sexism in a dish soap commercial which included the line: “Mothers around America are fighting greasy pots and pans.”
She appeared in an interview with Nick News in 1993 to talk about her campaign, saying she was “furious” at the advert for P&G’s Ivory Clear.
Meghan added: “When they heard this, the boys in my class started saying, ‘Yeah, that’s where women belong – in the kitchen’.”
In 2019, Procter and Gamble reported net sales in 2019 of 67.7 billion dollars.
Announcing the Sussexes partnership wit the firm, the Archewell website said: “Through Archewell Foundation, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a mission to build a more equitable and just future for women and girls.
“In this partnership, Archewell Foundation and P&G will put a priority focus on gender equity.”
A statement on the Archewell website adds: “Building on Archewell Foundation’s work with organizations such as Girls Inc. and National Women’s Law Center, the partnership will elevate the voices of adolescent girls to ensure their point of view and lived experience is heard at the tables where decisions are made.
Most read in News
“Expanding on P&G’s collaboration with Promundo, together we will underscore the importance of engaging men and boys in the drive for gender equity throughout society and encourage shared caregiving at home so everyone in the family can thrive.”
Since stepping down from their royal duties, Meghan and Harry have landed a £30million deal with Spotify for their own podcast, along with a £100million Netflix partnership.
Meanwhile, Harry has got a new TV series coming out with Apple TV+ later this month, while Meghan’s new children’s book, The Bench, will be published in June.