Meghan Markle announces first post-royal interview

Meghan Markle has announced her next speaking engagement as she interviews the founder of a news agency which reports on women “underserved and underrepresented by the American media”.

Meghan, 39, is said to have contacted Emily Ramshaw, the co-founder and chief executive officer of The 19th*, a new non-profit news agency, to say she was keen to work with them.

The Duchess of Sussex will now be interviewing Ramshaw for The 19th’s virtual summit next Friday, closing a week of interviews from people like Hillary Clinton, Melinda Gates and actor Zoe Saldana.

The summit is being held to mark 100 years since voting became a right in the US regardless of gender.

But The 19th* says there is “unfinished business”,

In a statement to Glamour, Meghan said: “The 19th*’s commitment to reporting and storytelling that lifts up those who are too often underrepresented in the media has never been more important.

“I’m looking forward to asking the co-founder what it means to build a media outlet with gender equity, diversity, and community at its core.”

Meghan’s work with The 19th* comes soon after she and her husband Harry announced they would stop working with several of the UK’s tabloid newspapers and websites, and as she sues the Mail On Sunday and the MailOnline for breaching copyright.

It’s understood she will not be paid for the engagement.

Since leaving royal life, Harry and Meghan have had to delay their original plan to launch Archewell, a non-profit organisation, but have still found ways to lend their voices and support to causes which are important to them.

Meghan spoke at a UN virtual summit called Girl Up, in which she encouraged young attendees to chase their convictions with action.

She also spoke to the graduating class of her former High School in Los Angeles in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

Her first interview billed as taking place post-royal life, for Disney+, was actually filmed when she was a working royal.

But this is a first for the former actress, as she holds the cards and interviews someone else.

Read more: The 360: Were Harry and Meghan right to ban Britain’s tabloids?

Ramshaw told Glamour: “I would call it a surreal experience for me.”

She tweeted: “In the department of the surreal: The Duchess reached out to us; she said @19thnews’ vision of building a diverse and representative newsroom that covers women and other underserved people with nuance + empathy spoke to her immediately.

“She asked if she could interview me on “storytelling that lifts up those who are too often underrepresented in the media,” and “what it means to build a media outlet with gender equity, diversity and community at its core”.”

Ramshaw also revealed that her four-year-old daughter nearly spilled the beans on the secret booking, but no one believed her when she announced “My mommy is going to talk to a princess!”.

The summit’s page explains: “The 19th was founded  to shine a light on the unfinished business of the 19th Amendment and empower women — particularly those underserved by and underrepresented in American media — with the information, community and tools they need to be equal participants in our democracy.”

The Duchess of Sussex will speak to Ramshaw on Friday, 14 August, from 7pm BST.