
Duchess Meghan keeps it casual for surprise engagement at bakery that helps vulnerable women
By Zach Harper
Duchess Meghan made a surprise visit to London’s Luminary Bakery earlier this week to help the organization open a new franchise – and it looked like she had a lot of fun!
The Duchess of Sussex first worked with the bakery earlier this year, when she featured them in the pages of British Vogue as part of the September issue she guest-edited. The bakery helps women who have faced issues such as abuse, sexual assault, neglect, mental health issues, trafficking, poverty or other forms of marginalization find work.
Luminary's first location was so successful that they’re opening another, which, according to an Instagram post by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s team, will enable the organization to “provide services, support and mentoring for four times the number of women.”
Meghan arrived at Luminary for a special celebration that involved cutting one of their delicious cakes. She sported skinny jeans, a striped top from With Nothing Underneath, a brown leather Madewell belt and J. Crew collarless blazer, along with a very classic pair of Stan Smith Adidas trainers. She accessorized with Adina Reyter earrings and wore an apron over her outfit as she helped cut the cake, which was a three-tier treat with strawberries.
Meghan also took the time to speak with some of the women while she was there, discussing challenges they’re facing. She shared some of her “hopes, fears and insecurities” and also told the women she met that it’s important to be patient while healing from trauma.
“I was talking about this with someone the other day,” she said, according to the Telegraph. “We get into this habit of wanting things done immediately nowadays. There’s a culture of instant gratification, of the instant fix. But we aren’t mechanical objects that need to be fixed. You’re a wounded create that needs to be healed, and that takes time. And that’s what I love about this place. It gives you the support to heal.”
Alice Williams, Sarah Harrison and Abigail Mifsud formed Luminary Bakery in 2014, and so far it has helped more than 50 women in the UK. In addition to teaching women how to bake, Luminary also helps them learn to budget their finances and teaches them about computers, ensuring they can find work at the bakery or elsewhere.
Luminary and Meghan have a very sweet relationship! They’ve responded to her support by having her back, too. After she featured the organization in British Vogue, she sent Luminary a special thank-you card. The organization responded by baking her a scrumptious cake for her 38 th birthday in August. It was a carrot cake with orange peels and pumpkin seeds and a special message for the duchess written in chocolate icing.