Meghan Markle visibly excited as she makes surprise appearance at a Smart Works charity photoshoot

Meghan Markle shared a video of her making an appearance at a fashion photoshoot for the charity Smart Works in London today amid the ongoing furore surrounding her and Prince Harry’s repeated use of private jets.  

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have been vocal on environmental issues and recently urged their Instagram followers to do ‘their little bit of good’, provoked outrage and were branded ‘hypocrites’ for flying on gas-guzzling private planes four times in 11 days this month. 

In the ‘sneak peak’ clip, shared to Instagram Stories and set to Bill Withers’ 1977 hit Lovely Day, the Duchess, 38, is seen excitedly helping coordinate the shoot for the capsule collection she is spearheading in partnership with the women’s organisation.  

The new line will be in aid of charity and was announced following the launch of Meghan’s Vogue magazine campaign. 

Smart Works, one of Meghan’s first patronages, helps women, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, get interview-ready by providing them with a new outfit and coaching from a team of volunteer mentors. 

‘Meghan surprised everyone at Smart Works when she showed up for the shoot,’ a source told BAZAAR.com. 

Dressed in a loose blue and white striped cotton shirt by Frank & Eileen and navy skinny jeans, teamed with a pair of nude stilettos, Meghan warmly welcomes the women arriving to take part with a huge smile and enveloping hugs. 

She’s seen laughing and joking as the women, dressed in items from the upcoming collection, have their photos taken and is seen taking a keen interest in the end result, helping with styling and looking over the shoulder of the photographer at her computer. 

In the final few seconds of the video, the Duchess turns to the camera and excitedly claps her hands, clearly delighted with the images. 

The video is captioned: ‘Sneak peek at the new Smart Works charity capsule collection shoot, ahead of the autumn launch. 

‘An initiative supporting the Smart Works collective which will equip women entering the work force with the key work wear essentials they need… Coming soon.’ 

It comes after mass furore over Meghan and Harry’s use of four private jets in the space of just 11 days.

In an interview for Meghan’s edition of British Vogue, Harry told environmentalist Dr Jane Goodall he and his wife only plan to have a ‘maximum’ of two children, to help minimise their carbon footprint.  

But photographs of the royal couple and three-month-old Archie showed the family stepping on board the Cessna 680 Citation Sovereign jet on Saturday at about 3pm local time, having arrived in France three days earlier. 

The couple are believed to have visited the £15million palatial home of Castel Mont-Alban owned by Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish overlooking the Promenade des Anglais during their holiday to the French Riviera. 

Royal experts later said the British public do not want to be ‘lectured on climate change by those who don’t do follow their own advice’, while MPs said the trips do not ‘fit with their public image’ they project as eco-warriors. 

The Sussexes trip to Nice came shortly after Harry and Meghan, who married in May last year, had returned by private jet to the UK from Ibiza after a six-night break on the Spanish island to mark the Duchess’s 38th birthday. 

The row deepened today when actress Jameela Jamil made an impassioned Twitter post in defence of the couple – only to be called a ‘virtue-signalling twerp’ by Piers Morgan.

In a social media post in support of Harry and Meghan, the 33-year-old accused people of bullying Meghan because of her race, adding: ‘Dear England….You’ve all lost your marbles. It’s 2019. Grow up.’ 

But Jameela’s outburst prompted a backlash from Good Morning Britain host Piers, who claimed she was a ‘vile racist bully’. 

Piers claimed the actress was a ‘vile racist bully’ today, in reference to a row between the pair in March. 

Jameela tweeted last night: ‘Ugh. Dear England and English press, just say you hate her because she’s black, and him for marrying a black woman and be done with it God dammit. Your bullying is so embarrassing and obvious. You’ve all lost your marbles. It’s 2019. Grow up.

‘And ALSO, it’s not safe for us to be on the same planes as royals or presidents you absolute muppets. They are prime targets for kidnap and sometimes assassination. It’s in the interest of us civilians to not be endangered by proximity to people in such powerful positions.’

But Piers was quick to retort, writing: ‘Vile racist bully accuses all 55 million people in England of being vile racist bullies. I suggest YOU grow up, Ms Jamil, you pathetic virtue-signalling twerp.

‘Even by your standards this is hilariously stupid. The royal Sussex eco-warriors flew in BA economy to Nice last year – nobody died, from memory.’ 

But Sir Elton sped to the couple’s defence, citing his close friendship with Diana and her death as a reason to ‘protect’ the pair. 

He said: ‘I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice last week.

‘Prince Harry’s Mother, Diana Princess of Wales was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death.

‘After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquillity of our home.

‘To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight. To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™.

‘I highly respect and applaud both Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity and I’m calling on the press to cease these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character that are spuriously crafted on an almost daily basis.’

But the author of ‘Royally Suited: Harry and Meghan In Their Own Words’ Phil Dampier said: ‘Some families slave away all year to afford one nice holiday and they shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about harming the planet when Harry and Meghan are swanning about in luxury.’ 

Labour MP Teresa Pearce said: ‘Given the position they have taken publicly about being responsible on climate change, this does seem an anomaly which they should look at.

‘I find this quite surprising because it doesn’t fit with their public image and the way they’re so concerned about the planet and the environment.’

Ken Wharfe, an ex-royal protection officer who guarded Princess Diana, said: ‘Frankly it’s hypocritical. Harry can’t be preaching about the catastrophic effects of climate change while jetting around the world on a private plane.’

The Sussex Royal Instagram account has already posted a series of images focusing on the Duchess’s collaboration with Smart Works, of which she was appointed Royal patron in January.  

After some ‘quiet visits’ to the charity over the last year, Meghan revealed she was keen to help to charity.

In a previous post, the Sussexes wrote: ‘The Duchess was moved by the impactful work being done by this non profit organisation that helps women into the workforce, equipping them with both the skills and clothes they need to feel job-ready.

‘Throughout her visits she noticed that while the donations were plentiful, they were also notably a combination of mismatched items and colours which weren’t always the right stylistic choices or sizes that didn’t necessarily “suit” the job at hand: to make a woman feel confident and inspired as she walked into her job interview.

‘As a result, launching this autumn, The Duchess will be supporting a collective to help equip the women of Smart Works with the key workwear essentials they need as they enter into the workplace.’

The post added that the initiative will be supported by ‘four generous brands who share the vision to empower the women of Smart Works’ as they venture into the job market.

It continued: ‘The brands have come together to work towards this united force for good, [reframing] the idea of charity as community.’

The post then went on to thank brands such as John Lewis and Partners, Marks & Spencer, Misha NoNoo and Jigsaw.

A royal source confirmed the idea had been Meghan’s and said the collection would be available later this year but ‘no further details could be given at present’. 

Writing in the September edition of Vogue which she guest-edited, Meghan said: ‘When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes.

‘Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colors, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.’

‘To help with this, I asked Marks & Spencer, John Lewis & Partners, Jigsaw and my friends, the designer Mischa Nonoo, if they were willing to design a capsule collection of more classic options for a workwear wardrobe.

‘Taking the idea further, many of the brands agreed to use the one-for-one model: for each item purchased by a customer, one is donated to the charity. Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together.’

Smart works offers a two hour dressing and coaching service for unemployed women with confirmed job interviews. 

Each client has a personalised styling session with two Smart Works volunteer stylists, receiving a complete outfit of high quality clothes and accessories for their specific job interview, which are free and hers to keep.

After her dressing, each client receives a one-to-one interview preparation and coaching session with an experienced HR professional or senior manager.

Once a client is successful at interview, they are welcomed back to receive five additional pieces of clothing. This means that they can start their new role with a capsule working wardrobe which will see them through until their first pay cheque.

Meghan wrote of the charity: ‘The reason why I was drawn to Smart Works is that it reframed the idea of charity as community… It’s a network of women supporting and empowering other women in their professional pursuits.’

It was Meghan’s passion for Smart Works that set the whole British Vogue ball rolling and promoted her to approach its editor in chief, Edward Enninful, she has revealed.

She writes: ‘It’s the enthusiasm of the volunteers, the earnestness of the staff and, most of all, the blushing, bashful and beautiful smile that crosses a client’s face when she sees herself in the mirror, that I have found so profoundly compelling.’

The go-getting duchess’s idea with Smart Works follows on from her collaboration with the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen in West London.

The communal kitchen supports members of the community affected by the Grenfell Tower fire, to bring out a cookbook that has raised more than £500,000 so far.  

Meghan and Harry used private jets to travel with their infant son Archie to Ibiza to celebrate Meghan’s birthday and then flew to Nice last week for a brief vacation at Sir Elton John’s private villa.