Meghan Markle reflects on what got her through 2020

Meghan's strategy for dealing with 2020 is very relatable.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex visit the Tembisa Township to learn about Youth Employment Services on October 02, 2019 in Tembisa, South Africa
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)

No one had an easy time in 2020, including Meghan Markle. Emotions ran high as the world collectively struggled to stay safe, but Meghan credited her four-legged friends for keeping her emotional wellbeing in check. 

• In her foreword for The Mayhew Foundation's annual review, Meghan noted the importance of pets during an isolating and frightening year.
• The Duchess has been a  patron of the U.K. animal welfare charity for over two years now, according to People.
• In other royal news, Princess Margaret's beautiful words about her sister, The Queen, revealed in a previously unpublished interview.


If you ask Meghan Markle, man's best friend came to our rescue in 2020. 

Feeling of isolation and fear took their toll on people across the world. For many, pets were a source of comfort. 

"When I reflect on 2020, I always come back to the importance of community and connection," the Duchess wrote in The Mayhew Foundation's annual review. "We may have been forced apart, but we found new ways to be close and to support each other through this shared crisis. For many of us, this was made all the easier with our pets by our side."

Like many of us, Meghan is a huge animal lover and never shied away from adoption. Before she and Prince Harry adopted a black lab named Pula, Meghan was a dog mama to Bogart and Guy, who are still with the Duchess today. According to Prince Harry, he couldn't be happier.  

"To have a boy and then a girl, you know, what more can you ask for," he said to Oprah during their tell-all interview. "But now, you know, now we — we've got our family. We've got the four of us and our two dogs, and it's great."

That sense of community and connection, with both people and pets, is incredibly important to Meghan. Earlier this month, she announced that she'll be donating copies of The Bench, her new picture book, to promote unity and provide families with resources they need. 

"After more than a year of unprecedented challenges for schoolkids and families everywhere, The Duchess believes the path ahead must include a focus on well-being — and nourishing our communities through food, education, and emotional and mental health support," a statement on Archewell Foundations read in regards to her donation news. 

We give the Duchess' philanthropic efforts two thumbs (and two paws) up.

Danielle Valente

Danielle is a writer for woman&home and My Imperfect Life, where she particularly enjoys covering lifestyle and entertainment news. She was previously the editor of Time Out New York Kids and a news editor at Elite Daily. When she's not working, you can find her reading a good book and enjoying a cup of coffee. Follow her @dvwrites.