Priyanka Chopra arrives at the 89th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2017. Getty
They’ve enjoyed a close friendship since they first met, with Priyanka Chopra even jetting into London for Meghan Markle‘s wedding to Prince Harry earlier this year. And now Chopra has further supported the now-Duchess of Sussex, taking to Instagram to laud the former actor for her new charitable initiative.
The newlywed royal this week helped unveil Together, a cookbook created in collaboration with the women of London’s Hubb Community Kitchen (“Hubb” means love in Arabic). The endeavour was formed earlier this year, in response to the devastating blaze that tore apart the city’s Grenfell Tower. Families, survivors, and volunteers congregated at Al Manaar, the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, to cook for those affected, with 50 of their recipes now immortalized in the new publication. Profits from the book, which will be released on September 25, will go towards supporting the Hubb Community Kitchen, “enabling it to stay open and to thrive,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.
The duchess penned the foreword for Together, which pays tribute to her love of food as well as her “immediate connection” to the community kitchen. “It is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together,” she wrote. “Melding cultural identities under a shared roof, it creates a space to feel a sense of normalcy – in its simplest form, the universal need to connect, nurture, and commune through food, through crisis or joy – something we can all relate to.”
The book was Markle’s first solo project since joining the Royal Family, and it has been applauded across social media since it was announced on Monday. Among those championing the duchess was Chopra, who penned a congratulatory message she shared with her 27 million Instagram followers. “So proud of you for this new endeavour Meghan,” wrote the Quantico star. “This is everything you always stood for. Women supporting women. Supporting communities. Bringing Togetherness. Here you do it again. Keep making the world smile babe!”
Tennis ace Serena Williams, who attended Markle’s Windsor Castle wedding in May, also took to social media to praise the royal. “I used to call you Meghan (and I still do) but dear Duchess of Sussex your first project ‘Together’ a cookbook bringing women of all cultures together,” the athlete posted on Instagram. “I could not be more excited about it and proud of you. It’s beautiful – diversity, inclusivity, coming together in grief or joy – there is just so much love.”
Now Read: Queen Rania Steps Out to Campaign Against Violence to Children
