Meghan Markle Steps Out for Lunch with Gloria Steinem in N.Y.C. Following UN Appearance

The Image Direct Meghan Markle and Gloria Steinem

Meghan Markle had a special lunch date during her visit to New York City!

On Monday, the Duchess of Sussex stepped out with friend and political activist Gloria Steinem for lunch at the Crosby Hotel in SoHo.

Meghan, 40, started the day at the UN, where she supported her husband Prince Harry as he gave a moving address in honor of Nelson Mandela Day.

Just last month, the Duchess of Sussex and Steinem, 88, joined forces following the Supreme Court's decision to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion in a Vogue feature, where they both spoke out about the importance of normalizing conversations about women's health.

Steinem also credited Meghan for their friendship, sharing that the Duchess of Sussex reached out to her following her move to California in 2020.

"Meghan, I owe this friendship to you," she said. "Because I did not realize that in California, where I was sheltering on a friend's ranch, we were neighbors. Or at least what is called neighbors in California, which means you're, what, a half-hour away."

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Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The two women, who have grown close in recent years, also sat down in 2020 to discuss voting, representation at the polls, and what it means to be a feminist. They even got together to cold-call voters at Steinem's dining room table.

Steinem previously described the Duchess of Sussex, who she simply calls "Meg," as "smart, authentic, funny, political."

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KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Prince Harry

In his speech on Monday, Harry referenced the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, saying: "This has been a painful year in a painful decade," given the global COVID-19 pandemic, issues surrounding climate change, the war in Ukraine, the spread of disinformation and the "rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States."

However, he encouraged listeners to "do what Mandela did" by finding "meaning and purpose in the struggle."