Meghan Markle Is Being Recognized With an Award for "Incredible Leadership" in Gender Equity

The duchess' friend Gloria Steinem will present her with the award.

Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan Markle has been announced as one of this year's recipients of a Ms. Foundation For Women's Woman of Vision Award.

The Duchess of Sussex will be honored with the award at a gala in New York City on May 16, when she will be celebrated "for her global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls," according to the organization's website, which also reads, "She will be presented the award by Gloria Steinem, Co-Founding Mother of the Ms. Foundation."

Steinem and the duchess have been fast friends for a while now, thanks to their many shared interests—in particular the advancement of women.

"I'm not an expert on the media, but it seems to me that she is different from the picture of her in the media," Steinem told People in 2022. "She's smart and funny and devoted to social issues. Maybe it's the British tabloids that are the problem."

Teresa C. Younger, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation, said about the duchess and her fellow award recipients, "We are thrilled to announce this year’s honorees for the Women of Vision Awards and to celebrate 50 years of progress and power.

"Meghan, LaTosha, Wanda, Kimberly, Olivia, and Rebekah are incredible leaders and we are grateful to be able to shine a light on their many accomplishments and tireless work on behalf of gender and racial equity across the country and the world."

The duchess is being recognized for her lifelong work towards gender equity, starting with her pre-royal work for UN Women, World Vision Global, and One Young World, followed by her work with the Archewell Foundation and her podcast, Archetypes.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.