Meghan Markle turns 44 today, celebrating with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
While this year's birthday is expected to be a private affair, 40th birthday in 2021 was marked with a high-profile initiative aimed at supporting women in the workforce post pandemic.
To mark the milestone, Meghan launched the 40x40 campaign, an online mentorship program encouraging 40 of her celebrity friends to dedicate 40 minutes of their time to help women rejoin the workforce.
The launch was accompanied by a light-hearted video featuring actress Melissa McCarthy and a surprise cameo from Prince Harry.
Despite the buzz, the campaign failed to take off and was quietly abandoned. After the project, faded from public view, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The DailyMail he believes the initiative was more of a PR move intended to 'enhance Meghan's appeal.'
He suggested that while the idea stood out as a novel way to mark her 40th, ultimately lacked direction and structure.
Big names such as Adele, Serena Williams, Princess Eugenie, Stella McCartney, and Melissa McCarthy were associated with the campaign. But according to Fitzwilliams, even the celebrity backing couldn't salvage what he described as a 'poorly managed' project.
