Meghan Markle Announces End of Maternity Leave with Her First Official Post-Baby Engagement!

The Duchess of Sussex will step out next Thursday to launch the capsule collection of women's workwear she created with her designer friend Misha Nonoo

Meghan Markle is making her official return to royal duties after maternity leave!

The Duchess of Sussex will step out next Thursday, Sept. 12, to launch the capsule collection of women’s workwear she created with her designer friend Misha Nonoo.

The outing marks her first official work engagement since she and Prince Harry welcomed their first child, a son they named Archie Harrison, on May 6, making her return to royal duties just over four months after Archie’s birth.

The clothing line will benefit her patronage Smart Works, a charity that helps women find employment with coaching tips and professional attire for their job interviews. For every item bought during the sale of the collection, one will be donated to Smart Works.

“When you walk into a Smart Works space you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes,” Meghan wrote in the September issue of British Vogue, which she guest edited. “Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colors, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.”

Meghan Markle
Samir Hussein/WireImage

“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,” she added. “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.”

Meghan Markle Duchess of Sussex
Meghan Markle. Sussex Royal/Instagram

The royal mom shared the first glimpse of her project in a candid Instagram Story last month. In the video, which is set to the Bill Withers’ 1977 hit, “Lovely Day,” the Meghan surprises a group of women as they arrive to the collection’s photo shoot.

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Meghan excitedly puts her hand to her face as the women come up the stairs to be greeted by the royal with a hug. She proceeds to help direct the shoot from the sidelines and even styles the women.

Dressed casually chic in skinny jeans, a blue-and-white striped collared shirt by sustainable British women’s shirt brand With Nothing Underneath and nude heels, Meghan is animated as she laughs and jokes around on set. At the end of the video, she excitedly claps in front of the camera.

Trooping the Colour
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Although Meghan has been mostly out of the spotlight since Archie’s arrival, she’s stayed very busy. In addition to her work as the guest editor of British Vogue and the capsule collection, Meghan made her first post-baby appearance at Trooping the Colour in June to celebrate Queen Elizabeth‘s birthday with the rest of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

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Meghan, 38, also made a surprise appearance alongside Harry when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox faced off for the first-ever regular season MLB game in London, where the new parents were presented with some baseball-themed gifts for Archie.

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Duchess of Sussex
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle at Wimbledon. James Marsh/BPI/Shutterstock
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the King Power Royal Charity Polo Match, in which Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex were competing for the Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Polo Trophy at Billingbear Polo Club on July 10, 2019 in Wokingham, England.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Meghan’s summer also included Archie’s christening, outings to Wimbledon (including watching the women’s final with sister-in-law Kate Middleton and Kate’s sister, Pippa Middleton), a family outing to watch Prince William and Prince Harry play polo that marked Archie’s first public appearance and a “date night” with Harry to see The Lion King, where they met the film’s stars including Beyoncé.

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