27 February 2024 , 21:43
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Meghan Markle channeled her inner Nigella Lawson as she learned how to cook traditional Afghan food.
The Duchess Of Sussex was joined by a group of 15 women who resettled from Afghanistan to the United States as part of her Archewell Foundation scheme The Welcome Project. The charitable organisation which Meghan founded alongside her husband Prince Harry previously revealed via their website that Meghan had spent an "evening of cooking and storytelling" on February 10 with the Southern California branch of the Welcome Project.
A clip of the encounter has now been shared to the Archewell Foundation website and shows Meghan taking a hands-on approach to the cooking session while wearing an apron printed with the organisation's name. Meghan, 42, appeared graceful and demure as she cooked traditional Afghan dishes with the women including Ashak and Mantuu.
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Meghan joined the women for her Welcome Project (INSTAGRAM)Speaking exclusively to the Mirror US, body language expert Judi James revealed more about the visit - admitting that Meghan was keen to "muck in" with the culinary session and embracing her role as a "trainee" amongst the women. Judi explained: "There’s a look of Nigella Lawson-chic here as the camera pans into close-up over pasta and sauces before picking out a very glamorous Meghan whose body language and facial expressions suggest she is learning from the women, creating empathy with them and mucking in when it comes to the preparation and the cooking."
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Judi continued to describe how Meghan was conscious of letting the women feel they were in control with their expertise as she learned from them. She added: "Her checking glances to the others and her rounded-cheek smiles suggest she is positioning herself as trainee here, allowing them to look like the experts. But she also wants to be seen as hands-on. Hence the apron and the way she scrunches her body slightly to join in the group dynamic over the hot hobs."
The Duchess appeared gracious and eager to learn (Archewell Foundation)
Meghan helped the women prepare the food (Archewell Foundation)The Archewell press release for the Welcome Project visit highlighted how the women had told "their personal stories and the support they find from this intergenerational group of women". The visit was a collaboration with New York based organisation Mina's List, which has worked with female leaders and activists in Afghanistan since 2014.
Archewell recalled how in 2021 alone Mina's List aided in the evacuation and resettlement of over 2,000 Afghan women and families "through independent and coalition efforts," with many of them now residing in Southern California. Archewell and Mina's List "joined forces to provide community and support to these remarkable women as they begin to rebuild their lives in the US."