Meghan Markle has paid tribute to her friend and mentor, the late feminist icon Gloria Steinem, sharing previously unseen photographs, including one of her son, Prince Archie, with Steinem.

In her first social media post since returning to the UK, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, honored the "life and legacy" of the renowned American journalist, who died at the age of 92. Markle shared three photographs on her Instagram account, reflecting on their five-year friendship.

The first image, taken in 2020, captured Steinem and Markle during a "historic backyard chat" at Markle's home in Montecito, California. The two met to discuss women's rights and voter representation. In the photograph, both women are seen relaxing in deck chairs in the sunshine, with Markle's beagle, Guy, by her feet.

Among the shared images was a framed photograph of Steinem with a barefoot Prince Archie, who was approximately two years old at the time. Steinem, whose face is visible while Archie's is covered with a white heart, is seen reaching over to the young royal. Markle remembered the feminist icon for embracing her children, including Princess Lilibet, "with her whole heart."

The final photo was taken during Markle's visit to New York last March. Markle detailed her favorite memories with Steinem, which included "spending Thanksgiving" together and Steinem providing counsel during difficult times.

"Publicly, we did interviews together, called young voters to encourage them to have their voices heard, attended award ceremonies, and brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable," Markle wrote. "But privately, she was even better than you would imagine - spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counselling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivalled cheekiness and wit."

Markle also shared a personal anecdote about Steinem's perspective: "She was out one day in NY, and a woman approached her in absolute awe and said she wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was). Gloria replied: “It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is.”"

Steinem, a co-founder and consulting editor of Ms. Magazine, championed the feminist movement from the 1960s onward. Her death was announced by her and her foundation's social media pages, stating she died peacefully at her home in New York City.

The friendship between Markle and Steinem began when they participated in a video for the Makers Women channel discussing women's rights and voting rights. The conversation, filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic with social distancing measures in place, took place in a garden setting.

Markle expressed her admiration for Steinem's decades of work in advancing women's rights, noting that "people forget" the efforts activists like Steinem made. During their discussion, Steinem shared her views on the 2020 election and the importance of voting. At the end of their initial meeting, Steinem gifted Markle a bracelet engraved with "We are linked, not ranked."

Since their first meeting, the two women maintained a close relationship. In 2022, they gave a joint interview to Vogue US following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Markle used that platform to encourage men to speak out against the ruling and revealed that her husband, Prince Harry, was devastated by the decision.

Steinem had previously recruited Markle to support the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. In an interview with People, Steinem described Markle as "smart and funny and devoted to social issues," calling her a "great human being."

Markle was honored with the Women of Vision award by Steinem three years prior to this tribute.