Following a private visit to the Texas town of Uvalde in the wake of a fatal school shooting in May, Meghan Markle has given her support to a mom-led gun control movement.
The Moms Demand Action movement was started by activist Shannon Watts in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, and the Duchess of Sussex wrote a letter of support to its members on June 22.
Meghan offered “a huge thank you for the work you are doing to keep our kids, families, and communities safe” in the letter, sent in a personal capacity.
The letter was written after it was revealed via a spokesperson that Meghan made a private visit to Uvalde, Texas following the shooting at Robb Elementary school in her “personal capacity as a mother.” The visit demonstrated the royal’s support for enforcing stricter controls on gun ownership in the United States.
Meghan flew to the town to personally help “a community experiencing unimaginable grief” when Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old shooter, shot and killed 19 youngsters and two educators.
After pictures of Meghan paying her condolences at a memorial to the victims were published, she was accused of staging a PR stunt at the time of her visit.
Letter of Meghan to Moms Demand Action was shared on social media by Shannon Watts, who after the Uvalde shooting released a statement reading: “We’re devastated by this horrific act of gun violence that will forever traumatize the Uvalde community.
“School shootings are not acts of nature, they’re man-made acts of inaction, of cowardice, of corruption by all lawmakers who refuse to pass laws proven by data to stop preventable, senseless shootings like in Uvalde. We cannot and will not accept a reality in which our children aren’t safe in schools or their communities.”
Meghan referred to Watts as a “fearless leader” in the opening of her letter and added: “Please know that while you may feel exhausted by your endless hours of dedication to this cause, I hope you feel energized in knowing that the work you’re doing is vital and so deeply appreciated.”
She then signed off with the line: “As a mom, as a friend, thank you so much!”
Watts posted the letter, to Twitter with the caption: “.@MomsDemand volunteers and staff have been working around the clock for weeks, so it was moving to receive such a supportive note – and snacks! – from the Duchess of Sussex today.”
Moms Demand Action describes itself as a “grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families.”
The organization, which has chapters all around the country, frequently makes policy-level contributions to the discussion on gun control.
Prior to now, Meghan expressed her support for victims of gun violence. In order to sign a book of condolence for the 51 victims of shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, she paid a special visit to New Zealand House in London in 2018.
As per Newsweek, the duchess is a strong advocate for women-led movements like Moms Demand Action, and her letter to the organization comes after rumors that she left Hubb Community Kitchen participants a voice message earlier this month.
One of Meghan’s first solo-charity partnerships after marrying Prince Harry involved female residents of Kensington teaming up to cook for individuals impacted by the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.
A message posted to the charity’s social media channels this month revealed that “today we received a lovely voice message from the Duchess, being the five years anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy, asking how we are, about our children and families and giving us news of hers. Just being her beautiful kind self.”
After reducing her official ties with the U.K. after ceasing to be a full-time working royal in 2020 and terminating her affiliation as a patron with the British animal charity The Mayhew Trust earlier this year, Meghan has continued to support the community organization five years after its creation.
Shannon Watts, Moms Demand Action, and Meghan Markle have all been contacted by Newsweek for comments.
