On Monday, Kensington Palace announced on social media that Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle was the catalyst behind "Together: Our Community Cookbook." (Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
Since Meghan Markle married Price Harry in May, royal watchers have been wondering what the new Duchess of Sussex would take on as her first big charity project. Now they have their answer: a cookbook.
It's not just any cookbook, but a fundraising effort to support victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, one of the most devastating London tragedies in recent memory.
On Monday, Kensington Palace announced on social media that the Duchess was the catalyst behind Together: Our Community Cookbook, which showcases more than 50 recipes from women whose community was disrupted by the June 2017 fire. It is published by Penguin Random House.
The Duchess of Sussex is supporting a new charity cookbook, 'Together: Our Community Cookbook', which celebrates the power of cooking to bring communities together. #CookTogether pic.twitter.com/XEclxgQjR4
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 17, 2018
The project was introduced on Instagram in photos and a video that features Markle cooking, talking and dining with women of the Hubb Community Kitchen. The kitchen is where women who lived in the Grenfell Tower gather twice a week to prepare meals from their family recipes.
The fire, in a high-rise apartment block, killed 72 people including two who were hospitalized, and resulted in 70 injuries. Another 223 escaped.
The project combines nearly all of the Duchess' interests: charity, women, children, diversity, since the Tower was home to people from many nationalities, and most of all, cooking.
Until her relationship with Harry became serious, Markle, an actress who starred on the television drama, Suits, was known for her lifestyle website, The Tig.
Since decommissioned, The Tig regularly featured Markle's recipes, entertaining tips and home decorating ideas. It was viewed as sort of a mini-Goop, the lifestyle empire overseen by Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
In Markle's case, however, marriage into the royal family put the breaks on her acting career and her web presence, even as it vaulted her into a far more high-profile situation.
Since her engagement and marriage to Harry, many of Markle's activities have been in support of efforts he had already undertaken.
Now, with the cookbook, Markle has given a hint of what could capture her interest as she conducts her own charity work.
Together already has one high-profile fan: tennis champion Serena Williams. She attended Markle's wedding, and Markle was in the Royal Box at Wimbledon as Williams vied for the 2018 women's title.
I used to call you Meghan (and I still do) but dear Duchess of Sussex your first project “Together” a cookbook bringing women of all cultures together. I could not be more excited about it and proud of you.
It’s beautiful - diversity, inclusivity, coming together in grief or joy pic.twitter.com/RkB2O35qmG— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) September 17, 2018
Unlike some charity efforts, in which a royal simply writes an introduction or poses for a photo opp, Markle appears to have been the driving force behind the cookbook.
In the video posted on the Kensington Royal Instagram account, for which Markle did the narration, she explained that she met the Grenfell women in January 2018 when she visited the Hubb kitchen soon after moving to London in preparation for her marriage. (Hubb means "love" in Arabic.)
One of the women told her that the women gathered two days a week in order to cook their family dishes, many of which hail from the Middle East.
Markle asked, "Why not seven days?" and was told it was because of a lack of funding. "We'll do a cookbook," Markle replied, as heard on the video.
British newspapers reported that Markle has paid numerous "secret visits" to the Hubb kitchen to cook with the women and prepare the cookbook.
"It's a cookbook, but it's also the story of a West London community who gathered together in a kitchen and discovered the healing power of sharing good," Markle says in the narration.
She writes the introduction to the cookbook, and on Thursday night, Markle and Harry plan to appear at the launch party, according to a statement from Kensington Palace.
The royal family has been actively involved in efforts to help the Grenfell victims. Only days after the fire, Prince William met with people affected by the fire. Senior members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, both his sons, and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, attended a memorial service following the tragedy. Last June, Queen Elizabeth and Markle took part in a moment of silence honoring the Grenfell victims on the one year anniversary of the fire.
I was part of an effort called Authors For Grenfell, in which writers from around the world donated signed copies of their books, with the proceeds of an auction going to support relief efforts. Collectively, the authors raised $286,000.
Presumably, with her high profile, Markle has the opportunity to raise at least as much, if not more, for the Hubb Community Kitchen.
In the introduction, Markle recounted how it takes her 15 minutes to reach the kitchen, because she is stopped for warm greetings and kisses from the other women.
“You should undoubtedly arrive on an empty stomach because upon departure you will have been stuffed to the gills with samosas flecked with cinnamon, chapatis flavored with carrots and onion, Russian Semolina cake and my very favorite avocado dip that I now make at home," she writes.
About the only thing that the Together project lacks is a rescue dog, one of Markle's other interests. But if her enthusiasm for the cookbook is any indication, watch for her to do something involving animals in short order.
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