Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s A-lister pal appears to have accidentally given royal fans an insight into a private family photo.
Eagle-eyed wellwishers have spotted what looks to be an adorable black and white portrait of the Sussexes – with their children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three – in the background of an Architectural Digest interview with famous activist Gloria Steinem.
In the picture, which can be seen in the background of a snap of her office – taken in the author’s stunning Manhattan home – the Duke, 40, and Duchess, 43, are seen lying down in the grass with the kids.
All four are beaming up at the camera in the adorable candid, and cheeky Archie playfully places a hand on his mother’s forehead.
Harry and Meghan rarely show their children’s faces in photos and the last time most would have seen Lilibet would have been when the toddler turned one, in 2022.
The children – running up to hug their parents – were also pictured in the Sussexes’ Christmas card this year.
However, in recent months it appears the Duchess has been offering more of a glimpse into her family life – after making an Instagram comeback on New Year’s Day.
Since then, she has used the account to promote her new upcoming Netflix show – With Love, Meghan – and share a tribute to her beloved late dog, Guy, featuring a number of heartwarming clips with her kids.
Last night, she resurfaced on the social media app as she gave a huge shoutout to singer Billie Eilish for helping her out with a sweet request following the Los Angeles wildfires.
It’s perhaps no surprise that Gloria would have a sweet family portrait in her house, given her close bond with the Duchess.
Their friendship first blossomed when the pair sat down together to film a video on the Makers Women channel, about women’s rights and voting rights, after learning they only lived 45 minutes away from each other.
As the duo sat on wooden chairs in the garden during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Gloria opened the conversation by telling her pal: ‘Welcome home.’
The Duchess responded that she was pleased to be back in the US ‘for so many reasons’.
When the conversation kicked off, Meghan praised Gloria for her decades of work in advancing women’s rights, saying that ‘people forget’ the amount of hard work activists like Gloria put in to improve the lives of future generations of women.
At one point, the pair were even joined by Meghan’s beloved dogs, black Labrador Pula, and rescue beagle Guy, who happily wandered into the camera shot during the chat, and lay down at the Duchess’s feet while she continued chatting with Gloria.
‘[The dog] wants to be on camera,’ Gloria joked while gesturing at Pula.
The black-and-white clip – which was shot by filmmaker and photographer Matt Sayles – shows the two women sitting in the shade of a large tree, with a wooden table placed between their chairs, which appeared to have been spaced in order to comply with social distancing regulations.
She also made no attempt to hide her admiration for Gloria, gushing happily about how ‘great’ it was to be chatting with the famed feminist.
‘Today is a pretty great day, for me it’s a pretty great day,’ Meghan said to the activist, who shared her opinions about the 2020 election – and the importance of each and every vote – with the Duchess.
At the end of the chat, Gloria gifted Meghan with a bracelet which was engraved with the words: ‘We are linked, not ranked.’ Upon receiving it, Meghan said it ‘means everything to me on every level’.
While sharing the clip on Instagram, Makers Women described the conversation between the two women as a ‘historic backyard chat’, while sharing a few details about what Gloria and Meghan discussed.
‘Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and Gloria Steinem discuss representation, why each vote matters and how all women ‘are linked, not ranked,” the caption read. ‘MAKERS has an exclusive look at that historic backyard chat! Q&A to come tomorrow.’
Since this first meeting, the Duchess and Gloria have maintained a close friendship, and gave a joint interview to Vogue US in 2022, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, putting abortion rights at risk for women around the US.
During the interview, the Duchess called on men to be more vocal about their anger at the decision in order to add their voices to the growing number of women who objected to the Supreme Court’s move. Meghan also revealed that Harry had been devastated by the decision.
‘They may target women, but the consequences impact all of us,’ she said.
‘My husband and I talked about that a lot over the past few days. He’s a feminist too.’
Gloria confirmed Harry was indeed an advocate for women’s rights and referred to the Duke and Duchess as ‘chosen family’.
Steinem told Vogue that Meghan and Harry speaking out about the issue was vital.
‘It’s very, very, very important,’ she said.
‘Because what they both have is trust. We trust them and nothing but nothing replaces trust. It is the most important quality or attribute. We can see things on television and not believe them or not trust them.
‘But when people like these two tell us, then we trust it.’
A few weeks after the interview, Meghan and Gloria were spotted arm in arm as they left the swanky Crosby Hotel in Soho, New York after having lunch together.
As they said goodbye before Gloria hopped in a taxi, they shared a hug.
The political activist recruited Meghan in her fight to get Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment – a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex.
Speaking to People in November 2022, just weeks before the Duke and Duchess’s $100 million Netflix docuseries landed, Gloria said of Meghan: ‘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.
‘She’s smart and funny and devoted to social issues.’
Gloria added Meghan was a ‘great human being’.
In 2023, Meghan also revealed that Gloria came over for Thanksgiving dinner one year.
