Meghan Markle honored her “friend and mentor” Gloria Steinem after the legendary activist’s death on Wednesday.
The Duchess of Sussex wrote via Instagram Thursday that she was “grateful to know that in these last few weeks and days [Steinem] knew exactly how loved and admired she was.”
The “Suits” alum, 45, gushed over the feminist’s “many accolades” and reflected on their joint efforts to “brainstorm how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable.”
Markle went on to write that “privately, she was even better than you would imagine.”
The retired royal fondly remembered Steinem spending Thanksgiving with her and Prince Harry — and credited the 92-year-old with “introducing [her] to one of [her] best friends [as] forever the champion of female friendship.”
Markle continued, “[She] lov[ed] our children with her whole heart, counsel[ed] me during hard times and [gave] extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit.”
The “Deal or No Deal” alum also shared her “very favorite story about GLO.”
Markle wrote, “A woman approached her in absolute awe and said she wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was). Gloria replied: ‘It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is.’”
The lengthy caption concluded, “Rest in peace, and rest in pride. Look at what you’ve done for all of us. Thank you.”
In the social media upload, Markle concluded a sunny outdoor snap of herself and Steinem sitting in lawn chairs.
The second slide was a framed photo of the late icon with Markle and Prince Harry’s now-7-year-old son, Prince Archie.
The final photo was a black-and-white shot of Steinem sitting on a couch with Markle.
News broke of Steinem’s death on Thursday, with a statement posted to her Instagram account.
“Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her,” the message read. “Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end.”
Her cause of death is not yet known at this time.
Steinem, born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1934, helped define the modern women’s movement and pushed for abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendment and more as a fixture at marches and rallies.
Additionally, she helped launch New York magazine, co-founded Ms. magazine and helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus.
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