Priyanka Chopra wishes Meghan Markle on birthday, puts rumours of discord to rest: 'Bravo, my friend'

Priyanka Chopra on Thursday wished her 'friend' Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, a happy 40th birthday by pledging to support her initiative, to help women who've lost their jobs during the pandemic back into the workforce.

Priyanka Chopra wrote in her Instagram post that she was 'happy to join' the cause, and praised Meghan Markle for putting the welfare of others before her own, on her birthday.

She wrote, "Happy birthday, Meghan. For her 40th birthday this year, in true Meg fashion, she’s chosen to put the welfare of others first.⁣ As we all know, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted women around the world.⁣"

Priyanka continued, "In America alone, OVER 2 MILLION WOMEN have departed the workforce since January 2020. The three groups experiencing the largest burdens are mothers, women in senior management positions, and women of colour. These women, who are pillars of our communities, are shouldering the brunt of the crisis, including homeschooling and caring for family members of all ages.⁣ It’s time to help women get back into the workforce.⁣"

She concluded, "The Duchess of Sussex has asked 40 of her friends to take 40 minutes to support women getting back into the workforce… Of course I was more than happy to join. ⁣Now that’s a great way to celebrate a milestone Birthday. Bravo, my friend. You can all join in too. If you are able, donate time to mentoring, community service or any act or service that you can and maybe we can all collectively contribute to a global wave of compassion.⁣"

Also read: When Priyanka Chopra stood up for Meghan Markle, slammed 'racist' treatment by media

Priyanka and Meghan have been friends for years, but in the last few years reports suggested that their relationship became strained after the Duchess of Sussex skipped Priyanka's wedding to Nick Jonas. Priyanka had attended Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry, and in the past had publicly stood up for her against the British press' negative coverage of her. Priyanka in a 2019 interview labeled the reportage around her as 'racist' and had said that Meghan was more than capable of taking on detractors.