Princess Eugenie joins Meghan Markle's 40x40 initiative with sweet 40th birthday message

Princess Eugenie has shown her support for Meghan Markle’s 40x40 initiative as she shared a sweet 40th birthday message to her royal cousin-in-law. 

• Princess Eugenie took to Instagram to wish Meghan Markle a happy 40th birthday on August 4. 
• Alongside her birthday message, the Princess also pledged her support for Meghan’s inspirational new initiative.  
• In other royal news, the Queen celebrates Meghan Markle's birthday with a touching royal nod. 

Princess Eugenie has joined Meghan Markle’s new 40x40 initiative as she took to social media in honor of her special day. The Duchess of Sussex turned 40 on August 4 and was expected to celebrate this important milestone with a low-key party. Though whilst her exact birthday plans have not been confirmed, Meghan did treat fans to a first look at Lilibet Diana in a surprise birthday video. 

It was during this exciting appearance alongside actor Melissa McCarthy that Meghan announced a new initiative to mark the occasion. Named 40x40, this is a mentorship programme to support women re-entering the workforce. The Duchess of Sussex explained that by asking 40 of her “friends” to volunteer 40 minutes of their time to help others, she hopes a knock-on effect could see millions of women get back on their feet after the Covid-19 pandemic

And it seems her cousin-in-law Princess Eugenie is one of the first “friends” to get involved. 

As part of her sweet birthday message to Meghan on Instagram Stories, Princess Eugenie also pledged her support for 40x40. 

"To celebrate dear Meghan’s 40th birthday I’m contributing 40 minutes of mentorship to support women reentering the workforce," she declared, before going on to urge others to do the same. 

"In the past two years, tens of millions of women around the world have departed the workforce. If you can, please join me and commit 40 minutes to community, service or mentorship", Eugenie continued. 

The Princess’ support for this significant initiative is not only an inspiring reflection of her commitment to helping fellow women but seems to be indicative of her and “dear” Meghan’s wonderful bond. Despite recent rumors of conflict between the Sussexes and the wider Royal Family, their relationship with Princess Eugenie appears to have remained strong. 

It’s often thought that Princess Eugenie is one of Prince Harry and Meghan’s favorite Royal Family members. Following the Sussexes' decision to "step back" from royal life, Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank moved into Prince Harry and Meghan's former UK home, Frogmore Cottage.

Earlier this year, Meghan opened up about her long-standing friendship with Princess Eugenie during her and Prince Harry’s bombshell Oprah interview. 

"Eugenie and I had known each other before I had known Harry, so that was comfortable," Meghan explained to Oprah. "We're friends with them as a couple."

She and Harry and Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank reportedly even went on adorable double dates in the early days of the Sussexes’ relationship. Now the couples have welcomed Lilibet and August respectively just months apart, making the Queen a proud great-grandmother of eleven.

And with Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee coming next year, royal fans will likely already be hoping to catch a glimpse of the new arrivals with their proud parents.