Meghan Markle is set to receive a royal patronage from Queen Elizabeth in 2019, according to royal sources, in what we expect to be quite the way to kick off the new year for the pregnant Duchess of Sussex.

Sources are revealing that “discussions are ongoing” between Meghan and the Queen regarding which patronage Prince Harry‘s wife will take on. A patronage means that Meghan would essentially lend her name to a certain organization or charity, which in turn means that she would bring a boatload of publicity and recognition to that foundation. And what does that all bring? Donations. And lots of them. In fact, the Queen is patron to more than 600 organizations and charities, although back in 2016 she decided to hand out 25 patronages to some of the younger members of the royal family. And now it’s Meghan’s turn.

The Queen and Meghan
Getty

Meghan has reportedly already met with a few organizations and people in order to learn more about their work and what they do. It is said Meghan, 37, met with the Association of Commonwealth Universities, as well as the Campaign for Female Education, which supports marginalized girls in Africa. Meghan is expected to announce her first few royal patronages early next year, and they will reflect causes she supports including female empowerment.

And all this bodes well for Meghan since it has been quite the rough year for her. Most recently, Meghan reportedly had her first choice of gown for the British Fashion Awards shot down by the Palace. “Meghan had two different outfit options for the Fashion Awards on Monday night. Both were sent to her by Givenchy. The one she wore wasn’t her first choice but is the one the Palace approved,” a source close to her revealed to Us Weekly on Thursday, Dec. 13.

So we’re looking at this whole patronage situation as Meghan catching a break.

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