Animal lover Meghan has confessed her pets Guy and Pula have provided her with vital support, especially during a year filled with concerns for the ongoing pandemic and “the personal trials and tribulations” she has gone through, the CEO of one of her patronages has revealed. Caroline Yates, who leads animal welfare charity Mayhew, cast a light on the relationship Meghan has kept with her beloved patronage following her move to the US.
After revealing the Duchess of Sussex remains regularly in touch with Mayhew, Ms Yates spoke about a recurring theme in their conversations.
She told Hello! magazine: “Whenever we talk to the Duchess about the charity, she always references how important her dogs are and what a support they are, particularly during everything that’s happened this year, with Covid, and with the personal trials and tribulations she went through this year.
“It was really nice to share our experiences with her about how important animals are when things are tough and what a comfort they can be.
“That’s what Mayhew is all about, that’s what we want to try and encourage, we want to try to promote the human-animal bond and what a great source of comfort and stimulation, and joy pet ownership can be.”
During 2020, Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals and moved across the pond.
There, they created a new brand, Archewell, and worked on their financial independence, striking two deals with Netflix and Spotify.
In July, the Duchess suffered a miscarriage, as she revealed in an essay she penned for the New York Times.
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Last year also saw the Duchess battling in court against Associated Newspapers, which she is suing after the Mail on Sunday published extracts of a letter she sent to her father in August 2018.
Meghan became the patron of Mayhew in January 2019 and hit the ground running visiting the charity just a few days after the partnership had been announced.
Ever since, the Duchess of Sussex has privately paid visits to the north-London based charity multiple times.
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Meghan also made her continuous commitment to the charity apparent twice in 2020.
In June, she penned the foreword for the charity’s annual report.
In her message, the Duchess spoke with admiration about how Mayhew tackled the challenges emerging from the pandemic and continued to support its community and pets.
She wrote: “As I write, the COVID-19 crisis is gripping every country in the world and destabilising the lives of countless families across the UK.
“I am proud of how Mayhew have responded by finding new ways to support animals and people in these uncertain times.
“What I am even prouder of is that Mayhew’s mission was made for moments like these.
“It’s not just about cats and dogs; it’s about all of us, about our ability to come together as a community.”
Meghan added she had renewed her sponsorship of a dog kennel in the name of her son, Archie Harrison.
She said: “As an expression of my own commitment, I renewed my sponsorship of a dog kennel in the name of our son, Archie, to create an interim home for a pet in need.
“I hope you will show them your support in whatever ways you can.
“When you do, you will be contributing not just to animal welfare but to the shared welfare of us all.”
In December, Meghan and Harry decided to release their Christmas card through Mayhew.
The card was an artistic rendition of a picture taken by the Duchess’ mother, Doria Ragland, in the garden of the Sussexes’ home in Montecito.
