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Cape Town – Meghan Markle celebrated her 38th birthday on 4 August, and while we can only speculate the Duchess of Sussex spent the day cosying up to baby Archie, we can confirm the Sussexes indulged in slice after slice of a Luminary Bakery carrot cake – baked specially for the duchess.
Good Morning America shared pictures of the cake that was decorated with dried orange slices, sprigs of rosemary and read "Happy Birthday Meghan" in chocolate ganache, while Vanity Fair says the choice of cake is unsurprising considering the Duchess of Sussex's love for veggies.
Also unsurprising is the fact that the chosen bakery holds special meaning for Meghan – so much so that she featured them in her guest edit for Vogue's Forces For Change issue.
Luminary Bakery produces the most exquisite confections, but also works to transform the lives of so many women.
Based in London, the confectionery aims to empower women struggling to find their feet.
"We believe everyone has value," they write on their site.
"In the UK, thousands of women experience poverty, homelessness, violence or criminal activity; this creates disadvantage, it attacks their self-belief & it drastically reduces the opportunities available to them. Women are living through this right now, in our city.
"Luminary exists for these women. We offer skills training, paid employment and a supportive community to help women thrive."
Since its establishment, ten women who got their start at Luminary Bakery have gone on to start their own ventures.
Days before the September issue of British Vogue was published, Meghan sent Alice Williams, the bakery's CEO and founder a black leather Smythson notebook with "Forces For Change" embossed on the cover, as well as a handwritten note.
"Dear Alice," she wrote.
"When I knew I would be secretly guest editing the September issue of British Vogue, including Luminary Bakery was non-negotiable. The work you do, what you represent to the community, the spirit of the women there – you all embody what it means to be "forces for change".
"Thank you for being a part of this special project."
Alice commented, "To have someone like the Duchess acknowledge us and champion us is incredible," while Caoimhe Bennett, a Luminary employee gushed, "When I applied for this job I did not expect that I'd be making a cake for Duchess Meghan Markle."
“...The work you do, what you represent to the community, the spirit of the women there- you all embody what it means to be “forces for change”. Thank you for being a part of this special project.” — HRH The Duchess of Sussex @BritishVogue #duchessofsussex #meganmarkle pic.twitter.com/XApGthXcom
— Luminary Bakery (@LuminaryBakery) August 2, 2019
