Meghan Markle Has the Potential to Win Prestigious Award Within the Next Couple of Years, Expert Says

The DVF Awards have been top of mind this week, as the fourteenth annual awards ceremony was held in Venice on Thursday and honored the likes of Amal Clooney and Lilly Singh. The DVF Awards are given annually to provide recipients with resources necessary to extend their efforts on behalf of women all over the globe and was named for and conceived by Diane von Furstenberg in 2010 to honor women who have displayed courage, strength, and leadership in their commitment to their causes; each year, each honoree receives a $100,000 grant to continue their work. Past winners include the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gloria Steinem, Robin Roberts, Hillary Clinton, and Alicia Keys.

Meghan Markle in a red suit speaking behind a microphone

Next year at this time, could we add one Meghan Markle to the list? Public relations expert Rochelle White spoke to The Mirror and said that Meghan has “done enough” to have the potential to see her name on the honoree list next year. “I personally think that she could be in the running,” White said. “I feel like she has done enough and is doing enough to potentially win it.”

Long before marrying into the royal family, Meghan was an advocate for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. She wrote an op-ed piece for TIME about menstrual health stigma after a trip to India. More recently, this year, she won the Women of Vision Award from the Ms. Foundation for Women. Because of factors like this, White said she wouldn’t be surprised if Meghan gets a DVF Award next year, or maybe the year after.

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Meghan Markle in a gold gown on a red carpet

“I don’t think she’s stupid in regards to how she puts herself out there, but I don’t also think it’s too strategic,” she said. “I think you’ll probably start to see a bit more personality. I think you’ll see her doing what she loves to do, and what she loves best. After watching their documentary [Netflix’s Harry Meghan], I think she’s very aware of the eyes that the media has on her. I think she’s very aware of wherever she does.”

Amidst rumors she’s relaunching her Instagram, White said “There were talks a few months ago about her sort of, I think, bringing back her blog platform [“The Tig”] or doing something along those lines,” she said. “So Meghan might be ready to resume her nonprofit endeavors.”

Much like George Clooney supported Amal this week at the DVF Awards, White thinks Prince Harry will be all for it: “I feel like he is supportive of Meghan, and I feel like if they do something together, I think he’ll play his part and show his face, but I think she’s the sort of person that can probably do it with her partner and do it separately,” she said.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.