Meghan Markle surprises UK charity's client with 'words of advice and encouragement' from LA home

Meghan Markle may have finished up as a working member of the British Royal Family but it hasn't stopped her being involved with her UK charities.

The Duchess of Sussex, who is the Patron for Smart Works, dialled into a video call with a UK client from her home in LA, where the 38-year-old is seeing out the coronavirus crisis with Prince Harry and Archie.

On what's understood to be Zoom, Meghan offered "words of advice and encouragement" to a young woman going for an internship.

"The Duchess of Sussex kindly volunteered some time to speak with one of our clients ahead of her interview, offering words of advice and encouragement," Smart Works said on their website as they revealed the secret call took place on March 27.

"During the session the Duchess praised her for being 'such a beacon of hope' and 'focusing on getting through this'," they added.

In the clip the fresh-faced mother-of-one is seen wearing a v-neck burgundy sweater from UK brand Joseph, which the Duchess previously wore at a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queens Commonwealth Trust and One Young World at Windsor Castle.

After her session with the Duchess, the unnamed client praised the charity and the royal.

"I just wanted to say a big 'thank you' to you, the Duchess and the whole team at Smart Works for making this possible for women all around the UK, because to see such work is truly inspiring and uplifting," the young women said.

"And thank you for the super helpful interview tips – I will be using them for years to come!"

Smart Works is a service helping unemployed women across the UK with job interviews with one-to-one training and preparation help, including giving them an outfit to wear for the interview.

As a result of the COVID-19 situation, the charity has only been able to offer virtual services for the past six weeks.

"To see the amazing work they're doing to adapt their programs to the reality of this pandemic," Meghan said in a message to clients.

Adding: "Their ability to continue to empower women and help them harness the confidence they need to succeed during this time is inspiring."

The Duchess was announced as Patron for Smart Works in January 2019, before launching a capsule collection to benefit the charity in September.

The Smart Set featured a shirt, jacket, trousers, dress and bag which was designed in collaboration with Meghan's best friend and designer Misha Nonoo.

The items were sold via a number of British retailers with a one-for-one scheme, where the charity received one item of each sold.