Meghan Markle strongly opposes fur clothing, friend reveals

The future royal has always upheld her moral principles

Meghan Markle has never shied away from acting in a way that she believes is morally correct.

Prior to her engagement to Prince Harry, Ms Markle had already gained a reputation as a philanthropist and activist, championing gender equality as a United Nations women’s advocate and travelling around the world to support various charitable causes.

A close friend of the bride-to-be has shed a light on her virtuous character, citing several instances on which she proved herself to be a worthy role model.

Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne is a co-founder and managing director of Kruger Cowne Talent Management.

The 52-year-old, who’s based in London, worked as Ms Markle’s commercial agent from October 2014 to October 2016.

As a pal of the former Suits actress, Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne has disclosed some of Ms Markle’s bugbears, highlighting her integrity and strength of character.

No fur

According to Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne, Ms Markle has a strict no-fur policy.

She flat out refuses to promote fur or animal products, instead opting to wear faux fur such as this jacket with a faux fur collar sold at Nordstrom.

While Ms Markle is no vegetarian, revealing that Prince Harry proposed to her while the couple were cooking a roast chicken dinner, she previously stated in an interview with Good Housekeeping that she wore vegan leather trousers while on the set of Suits.

Hand-picked hotels

When it comes to hotel stays, Ms Markle won’t just opt for any establishment.

During her first visit to London, before she had achieved global levels of fame, Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne had arranged for the actress to stay at The Dorchester hotel.

However, Ms Markle stated that she could not reside in the hotel due to her immense disapproval of the owner, the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, and his stance on punishing gay people and women who had undergone abortions.

“Meghan emailed to say she would never stay at the Dorchester, or any hotels they are involved with. We understood and of course agreed,” Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne told The Daily Mail.

On another occasion, Ms Markle arrived at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge before swiftly leaving, as she spotted a live parrot that had been placed in a cage as part of the hotel’s decor.

“My colleague and I walked into her room and en route was this parrot sitting in a cage and Meghan looked at this parrot and looked at my colleague and said, ‘I can’t stay here because of the parrot.’ She there and then checked out and went to the Soho Hotel.

“I realise that she’s absolutely right, of course. Wild animals belong in the wild and not in cages.”

Fight for gender equality

Ms Markle proudly identifies as a feminist, working as an advocate with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in the past.

One of the charities that Ms Markle and Prince Harry have asked people to donate towards as part of their wedding celebrations is the Myna Mahila Foundation, an organisation that provides women in Mumbai’s urban slums with personal and professional support.

Ms Markle visited the charity last year and wrote about her powerful experience in Time magazine.

She felt particularly inspired by fellow feminist Emma Watson when she witnessed the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and Harry Potter actress giving a speech at an event.

“On one occasion, Meghan and I attended an event where Emma, a committed feminist, was speaking,” said Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne.

“I could tell Meghan was quite taken with Emma’s passion and commitment to her cause. I’m sure she was looking at her thinking, ‘Emma is doing this, so can I.’

“Meghan very much wants to be a role model."