Meghan Markle has paid tribute to her 'friend and mentor' Gloria Steinem while sharing a previously unseen picture of Prince Archie with the late activist. 

The first picture was taken in 2020, when Gloria and Meghan met to discuss women's rights and voter representation during a 'historic backyard chat' at the duchess's home in Montecito after discovering they lived 45 minutes from each other. 

The snap showed the pair enjoying the sunshine while relaxing in wooden deck chairs, while Meghan's beloved beagle Guy – who died in 2025 – was resting by her feet. 

Meghan also shared a framed photograph of Gloria with barefoot Archie, now seven, whose face was covered with a white heart, as she remembered the feminist icon for loving him and Princess Lilibet 'with her whole heart'. 

In the picture, Gloria can be seen reaching over to Archie, who would have been around two at the time, during one of her visits to Meghan and Prince Harry's mansion in California. 

The final photo was taken during Meghan's trip to New York last March, as the duchess shared her favourite memories with Gloria over the years – from 'spending Thanksgiving' together and 'counselling me during hard times'. 

'Publicly, we did interviews together, called young voters to encourage them to have their voices heard, attended award ceremonies, and brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable,' Meghan wrote. 

'But privately, she was even better than you would imagine – spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counselling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivalled cheekiness and wit.' 

The mother-of-two also recalled her 'very favourite story about Glo' as she wrote: 'She was out one day in NY, and a woman approached her in absolute awe and said she wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was).

'Gloria replied: “It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is”.'

Renowned feminist activist and writer Gloria died peacefully at her home in New York City surrounded by 'some of the many who loved her', according to her and her foundation's social media pages.

In 1963, she rose to fame after working as a Playboy bunny for 11 days undercover. Her two-part groundbreaking exposé A Bunny's Tale detailed the poor pay and sexist treatment that Playboy bunnies, originally waitstaff, endured.

Much of her life as an advocate was spent on the road, speaking at college campuses and community centres, at rallies and marches, with her trademark streaked hair parted down the middle and large aviator glasses adding to her recognisable presence.

The announcement on her social media this morning said: 'Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her. Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.

'Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard. Her words, actions and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humour.

'Gloria loved the tradition of lighting signal fires on hills to light the way to the other side of the mountain. Lighting your own candle for Gloria makes you part of this global and celestial community circle.

'In lieu of flowers, Gloria has asked that those wishing to honour her with a gift, may make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation.'

Gloria founded the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 with former US Representatives Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm and writer Betty Friedan, whose 1963 book The Feminine Mystique ushered in the second wave of feminism.

The experience affected Gloria's views on social injustice and marriage, which she believed robbed women of choices and many of their civil rights.

Among other groups, she also created the Coalition of Labour Union Women, the Women's Media Centre, Voters for Choice, and the Ms Foundation for Women.

In 2013, then-President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honour.

Meghan's friendship with Gloria first blossomed when the pair sat down together to film a video on the Makers Women channel about women's rights and voting rights. 

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 such as 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, who Meghan and Harry adopted together in 2018, shortly after their wedding. 

The Duchess of Sussex rescued Guy the beagle before she met Prince Harry and moved the pup to London with her back in 2017, leaving her other rescue dog Bogart behind.

The black-and-white clip, shot by film-maker 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 did not 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 every vote  with the duchess.

At the end of the chat, Gloria gave Meghan 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.

Since that meeting, Meghan and Gloria 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 to add their voices to the growing number of women who objected to the Supreme Court's move. Meghan also revealed that her husband, Prince Harry, had been devastated by the decision.

A few weeks later, they were spotted arm in arm as they left the swanky Crosby Hotel in Soho, New York, after having lunch together. They hugged goodbye before Gloria hopped into a taxi. 

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, just weeks before the duke and duchess's $100million 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.'

Steinem added that Meghan was a 'great human being'.

Three years ago, Meghan received the Women of Vision award from Gloria, as she was pictured giving the feminist activist a warm hug before accepting the gong. 

Meghan also met up with Gloria during a visit to her home in New York last October. 

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