Hillary Clinton, former US foreign secretary and Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, has revealed her admiration for American actress-turned-British royal, Meghan Markle.
Referencing the Duchess of Sussex on Instagram, Clinton wrote that she is “inspired” by her efforts to represent the United States “in the UK and on the world stage.”
Clinton went on to praise Meghan Markle’s support for Smart Works, one of her royal patronages which offers styling and training services to women going to job interviews.
The Duchess is set to launch her capsule collection of workwear for the charity, which includes a shirt, pants, a blazer, a dress and a bag, in London on 12 September.
Clinton said of the line: “The ability to earn their own paycheck is a key part of women's economic, social, and cultural equality, and it can all start with some smart suits.”
The post, which racked up over 80,000 likes in 24 hours, was met with praise and criticism – as Meghan Markle-related news always does.
The Suits star and her husband, Prince Harry, have been outspoken on environmental matters, but regularly raise eyebrows online for using private jets for travel – and critics were quick to refer to that controversy again.
“Pretty sure if I married into royalty I'd be doing more than getting some ‘smart suits’ to unemployed women whilst taking millions in taxpayer dollars to redo my house and flying in private jets while simultaneously talking about saving the environment,” one user wrote.
Another added: “We don’t need to be pandered to about the environment by a person who takes private jets. Wasteful, disgusting and hypocritical.”
“The moment you get a compliment from Hillary Clinton is the moment you realise something’s terribly wrong,” a comment read.
Meghan and Hillary are connected by more than just an aspiration to make the world a better place: in March, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hired Sara Latham, a former adviser for Clinton's 2016 campaign, as their head of communications.
One commenter said of Clinton’s tribute: “You are kidding right. You mean Meg’s PR person Sarah asked you to do this. Remember she worked for you.”
“Sarah Latham is earning her keep it seems,” wrote a user under the handle 8nilou8. “Inspirational is not the first word that springs to mind when thinking of Meghan Markle. Ruthless is a better adjective.”
“I’m sure the fact that Meghan Markles head of PR used to work for Hillary Clinton has nothing to do with it, right?” still another user quipped. “You all are getting played if you think this is anything more than a business transaction between two people who don’t give a rip about each other.”
In two weeks, the Sussexes will take an official tour of Africa, with stops planned in South Africa, Botswana, Angola, and Malawi.
The royal trip will focus on grassroots leadership, female rights, mental health, HIV/AIDS and environmental issues.
Prince Harry is expected to launch a three-country forest protection programme in Namibia, Botswana and Angola under the aegis of the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, an initiative launched in 2015 with the aim of linking all 53 Commonwealth nations into one network of forest conservation projects.
