Meghan Markle shares never-before-seen pregnancy photo to promote charity work

Royal dresses bump in tweed pencil Gucci dress

The Duchess of Sussex has shared a never-before-seen photograph of herself during her pregnancy to promote her work with women’s charity Smart Works.

On Wednesday, the royal’s Instagram account @sussexroyal posted several photographs on Instagram of the 37-year-old – who welcomed her son Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor in May – during her “quiet visits” to the charity earlier this year.

Smart Works is a UK-based charity that offers styling and coaching services for unemployed women with job interviews to help them get back into the workforce.

In the images, Meghan is photographed going through racks of clothing and helping clients choose clothes to wear to job interviews.

In one photo, the royal cradles her baby bump wearing a tweed pencil Gucci dress, worth £2,300, while chatting with a client.

The sleeveless cream dress features a pale blue, black and pink check pattern and was accessorised with a pink brooch and black ribbon bow below the neckline.

An excerpt of the Instagram caption reads: “Throughout her visits she noticed that while the donations were plentiful, they were also notably a combination of mismatched items and colours which weren’t always the right stylistic choices or sizes that didn’t necessarily ‘suit’ the job at hand: to make a woman feel confident and inspired as she walked into her job interview.”

“When you walk into a Smart Works space, you’re met with racks of clothing and an array of bags and shoes,” Meghan wrote of the charity in Vogue.

“Sometimes, however, it can be a potpourri of mismatched sizes and colours, not always the right stylistic choices or range of sizes.”

The posts came hours after it was revealed that Meghan was launching her own capsule workwear collection in association with the charity, of which she is a royal patron.

Meghan revealed the partnership in the September issue of British Vogue, which she guest-edited, announcing that the collection will be made in collaboration with Marks and Spencer, Jigsaw, John Lewis & Partners and designer Misha Nonoo. Launching later this year, it will be comprised of stylist workwear garments.

The duchess explained that she hopes the forthcoming capsule collection will help provide Smart Works’ clients with more suitable clothing choices.

Meghan Markle and close friend Misha Nonoo at at CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards in November 2015. (Getty Images)

Several of the brands the royal is working with have agreed to use a one-for-one model, meaning that for every item purchased from the collection by a customer, one is donated to charity.

“Not only does this allow us to be part of each other’s story, it reminds us we are in it together,” the 37-year-old added.

On Monday 6 May, the Duke of Sussex and Meghan announced they had welcomed their first child.

The couple announced the news via a picture of the words “It’s a boy” on their official Instagram account @SussexRoyal.

The caption read: “We are pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their firstborn child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019. Their Royal Highnesses’ son weighs 7lbs. 3oz.”