20 Times the Royals Took a Stand for Women

The royals have been supporting women's causes and raising awareness for decades, and one of their best advocates was Princess Diana. When the candid princess opened up about struggling with bulimia, she helped many others identify and seek treatment for similar issues, according to Elle magazine. Although both men and women can suffer from disordered eating, statistically women report struggles at higher rates, according to a 2010 study.

For most of the monarchy's existence, the crown passed from father to son — even if there were elder daughters in the family. Queen Elizabeth only became queen because she had no brothers. But according to Forbes, that all changed in 2013 when the queen decreed that birth order would trump gender when it came to who could rule the throne. That's why Princess Charlotte is higher on the succession list than her younger brother Prince Louis.

Kate's not a regular mom, but she does understand the struggles many of us regular moms go through. In 2020, Kate opened up on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast about how even she deals with things like mom guilt.

"It's a constant challenge — you hear it time after time from mums, even mums who aren't necessarily working and aren't pulled in the directions of having to juggle work life and family life," she said. "Always sort of questioning your own decisions and your own judgments and things like that, and I think that starts from the moment you have a baby."

We're sure she made all the moms listening feel heard that day. If even a princess can have a tough time, it makes us feel a little better about our own struggles.

Another way Kate has been trying to support moms is by calling attention to the importance of mental health. In 2022, People reported that the princess was made the royal patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. It's a collective that provides access to care and support for women struggling with mental health issues before and after pregnancy.

More from CafeMom: 17 Times Kate Middleton Went Against Royal Tradition as a Mom

Princess Eugenie founded the Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017 to combat modern-day slavery — which frequently targets girls and women. According to the Collective's website, 54% of the 50 million enslaved people today are female. In March 2024, Eugenie posted this Instagram video of her speaking to her mother, Sarah Ferguson, about the collective. In the video, Eugenie said she was inspired by her mother's own work to help effect change.

When the Duchess of York was diagnosed with early breast cancer in 2023, she highlighted the importance of women's access to health care resources — especially preventative screenings. A representative for the duchess told People, "She is also hugely thankful to the staff involved in the mammogram which identified her illness, which was otherwise symptom-free, and believes her experience underlines the importance of regular screening."

Prior to stepping back from royal life, Meghan Markle used her royal platform to advocate for women's rights. During a royal tour to Fiji in 2018, Harper's Bazaar reported the Duchess of Sussex spoke about the importance of women's schooling.

"Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital," Meghan said, adding, "When girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves but also for those around them."

Prince Harry has been right by his wife's side in supporting women's rights. According to Elle, in 2019, the prince told the charity group Tomorrow's Women that he was a proud feminist. "Harry said it's really important that men are involved. It's true, you've got to be working together. There's no divide between men and women with regard to these issues," charity CEO Angela Murphy said.

The queen's daughter, Princess Anne, has long supported many women's organizations. In particular, she has tried to advocate for more women to enter STEM fields. "I’ve certainly enjoyed being part of trying to encourage more girls to look at engineering as a realistic career," she said, according to Town and Country. The outlet reported that Anne said she would have liked to become an engineer herself if she hadn't been born into royalty.

In 2018, Princess Beatrice took the stage at the WE Day festival, a global youth conference. While there, the princess couldn't help but show her support for the girls and women in the audience.

According to Express, she said, "We don't mean to ignore all you boys in the audience, but today, as sisters, we stand here to support not only each other, but all women. Women, who although they may have different passions, as we all do, are working together to impact great change."

Beatrice doesn't often get the limelight the way the core royals do, but when she does, she makes sure to stand up for what she believes in.

Perhaps Beatrice got her speech skills from her grandmother. In 2015, Queen Elizabeth notably appeared at the 100th anniversary of the Women's Institute in Britain. She gave an address while there, highlighting how many advances in women's rights there had been over the past century. "In the modern world, the opportunities for women to give something of value to society are greater than ever, because, through their own efforts, they now play a much greater part in all areas of public life," the queen said.

During a speech at the Solomon Islands parliament in 2019, The Standard reported that Charles made a point to address gender inequality.

He implored the parliament members to empower "women to play a full and equal role in your society." He added, "As long as women face the despicable threat of physical and sexual violence, or discrimination on the basis of their gender, your economy and your society will simply never be able to achieve their full and extraordinary potential."

The Duchess of Edinburgh dedicates a lot of her time to advocating for women in the workplace. In late 2019, she spoke at the 100 Women in Finance annual gala, where she called for the inclusion of women in the male-dominated financial sector.

"Every one of you here tonight will be able to do something for a younger colleague inside or outside of your company. You don't have to be at the pinnacle of your own careers to be useful to others — all we need you to do is to be open to a conversation," she said, adding, "We cannot achieve gender balance and diversity alone. We need everyone, male and female, to support this mission. If we make greater strides towards achieving better parity, then we all stand to win. There will be bigger slices of a bigger cake for everyone."

Such a great call to action for gender parity in the corporate world.

Although they are no longer working royals, Harry and Meghan have not stopped their charity work. According to Harper's Bazaar, in 2022, the couple announced on their Archewell Foundation website that they gave grants to several organizations. With the money they hoped to "advance gender equity, build policies that empower women and families, ensure meaningful media representation for women, and provide women with a network of tools and support for gaining employment."

Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.

The Wales family is not letting gender define their children's activities. Not only was Prince George enrolled in ballet classes, but William has come to Princess Charlotte's defense regarding her soccer skills.

Diana Award winner Olivia Hancock told Hello! magazine in 2019 that Prince William was adamant about Charlotte's ability to participate in sports just like the boys.

"When I was chatting with Prince William he said to me, when he plays football with George and Charlotte ... George says to her that 'Charlotte I'm better than you,'" Olivia recalled, adding that William's response was, "George, Charlotte could be as good as you."

In fact, maybe she'll be even better.

William has continued to support Charlotte's love of soccer as she's gotten older. In August 2023, the father-daughter duo hopped on Instagram together to share a message of support for England's women's national football team. "We're so proud of everything you've achieved and the millions you've inspired here and around the world," Will said. "Good luck, Lionesses," little Charlotte added.

More from CafeMom: 15 Times the Royal Family Quietly Gave Back

Queen Camilla is the president of the Women of the World Foundation and in 2023, The Standard reported that she spoke at the newly launched WOW Girls Festival. "I am delighted that WOW is launching its first Girls Festival … to celebrate girls throughout the world and to do all that we can to promote their potential and nurture their opportunities."

Supporting women starts with supporting girls and young women, and that's clearly a cause close to Camilla's heart.

Continuing her dedication to supporting mothers, Kate opened Hope Street in 2023 to give back to women in the justice system. According to People, the community is designed to provide a safe space for children and their moms to remain together. As a Kensington Palace rep said, Hope Street is "for women who would otherwise be imprisoned unnecessarily due to a lack of safe accommodation or concerns around their well-being."

For International Women's Day in 2024, the royal family Instagram account posted this throwback quote of Camilla's. It's from a speech she made in 2021 about supporting survivors of sexual violence and encouraging people to speak up about the issue. We can't change what we don't acknowledge, so conversation is an important first step.

Also for International Women's Day in 2024, the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a series of Instagram Stories honoring some of the inspiring women they'd met during the previous year. This photo features Kate with Dr. Gubby Ayida. The princess met her in December 2023 through the doctor's work for Evelina London Children’s Charity.