Video: Duchess Meghan’s loving being back at work after baby Archie’s birth

Duchess Meghan is soldiering on in the face of relentless criticism, putting on a brave face and pouring her energy into the things that matter to her.

Surprise Duchess!

As the UK press speculates on whether Meghan’s expecting baby number TWO (what?!) she’s whacking on her skinny jeans and heels and getting on with the job at hand.

She’s just popped up at Smart Works, surprising the team and helping to oversee a fashion shoot for the helpful capsule range she spear-headed.

It’s proof that the Duchess is heading back to work on the projects she commenced before Archie was born back in May … and looking incredibly delighted about it all too!

In an Instagram story uploaded to the Sussex Royal account earlier today, Meghan can be seen looking very, very thrilled with what’s unfolding in front of her.

Meghan grins into the camera and greets some very surprised and excited women, as they turned up at the photoshoot

“Behind the scenes,” the story was captioned. “A sneak peek at the new Smart Works Charity capsule collection, 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 …”

She’s seen looking over photographs, styling shots and working with the creative team to get everything right. And honestly, she looks happier than we’ve seen her look in a long time.

#SussexRoyal have posted a behind the scenes preview of the recent promotional shoot for Duchess Meghan’s upcoming @SmartWorksHQ capsule collection (in partnership with @jlandpartners, @InsideJigsaw, @mishanonoo and @marksandspencer). More details coming soon! pic.twitter.com/U2mWnA2rAF

— Omid Scobie (@scobie) August 21, 2019

Returning to work in style

Meghan began working on this capsule range while she was still pregnant with Archie, and now that work is coming to fruition.

This project was launched after Meghan spent some time at the non-profit Smart Works – which supports disadvantaged women who are returning to the workforce – and realised that the clothing donated to the organisation was not really appropriate for women undertaking interviews or heading back to work. It was all a bit mismatched and higgledy piggledy, however well intentioned.

In response, she joined forces with four leading fashion brands to help design and create more stylish workwear essentials for the women Smart Works supports. John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, her friend designer Misha Nonoo and Jigsaw all on board.

The brands “will follow the 1:1 model where an item from the collection purchased is an item shared with a woman of Smart Works because not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story; it reminds us we are in it together,” Meghan recently wrote in Vogue.

So lovely to see her smiling and doing the things she loves the most.

View this post on Instagram

Spotlight on: Smart Works We are proud to be supporting a very special initiative this autumn for @SmartWorksCharity! After quiet visits to Smartworks over the last year, 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. This initiative is supported by four generous brands who share the vision to empower the women of Smart Works to look and feel 💯 as they bravely venture in to what can often be a daunting environment for those who have been out of the job market. The brands have come together to work towards this united force for good, “[reframing] the idea of charity as community,” as The Duchess writes in a piece for this month’s British Vogue. They will follow the 1:1 model where an item from the collection purchased is an item shared with a woman of Smart Works because “not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story; it reminds us we are in it together.” For more information on how you can be part of another woman’s success story visit @smartworkscharity. Special thanks to: @JohnLewisandPartners, @MarksandSpencer, @MishaNonoo, @InsideJigsaw for supporting this very special organisation. And to find out more, read the September issue of @BritishVogue and stay tuned for more exciting updates this autumn. Photo©️SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jul 31, 2019 at 9:03am PDT