Currently on a six-week 'sabbatical' from royal duties to spend time with her family, the Duchess of Sussex won't be seen in public until the new year. But that doesn't mean all is quiet behind the scenes.

On Tuesday Meghan secretly invited former First Lady Hillary Clinton to visit her at Frogmore Cottage, her Windsor home, the Mail can reveal.

According to sources, the two women hugged during what was described as something of a 'fan girl' meeting.

Prince Harry and six-month-old Archie were there and Mrs Clinton, 72, even got to have a cuddle of the royal baby and told Meghan about Chelsea's new baby son, Jasper, her third grand-child.

'Both women have a lot of admiration for each other and it was a very sweet, warm meeting,' the source said,' they are mutual fan girls!'

On Tuesday Meghan secretly invited former First Lady Hillary Clinton (pictured at Swansea University yesterday) to visit her at Frogmore Cottage, her Windsor home, the Mail can reveal

Meghan, 38, wrote to Mrs Clinton when her husband, Bill, was in the White House when she was just 11 years old to demand her help in getting a 'sexist' advertisement for dishwasher soap taken off the screens.

It is not clear whether she ever got a reply but the budding activist did successfully manage to get the voice over that 'women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans' replaced with the more palatable 'people'.

Apparently the letter was discussed between the two women, who were meeting for the first time.

It is likely that they also discussed Meghan and Harry's recent television documentary in which she complained about how difficult she had found joining the Royal Family and 'unfair' media criticism.

Earlier this week, former US Secretary of State Mrs Clinton told the BBC: 'Oh my God, I want to hug her. I feel as a mother I just want to put my arms around her.

The former First Lady, who has often talked of developing 'skin like the hide of rhinoceros' through her decades in the spotlight, added: 'I want to tell her to hang in there, don't let those bad guys get you down. Keep going, do what you think is right.

Prince Harry and six-month-old Archie (pictured with Meghan in South Africa) were there and Mrs Clinton, 72, even got to have a cuddle of the royal baby and told Meghan about Chelsea's new baby son, Jasper, her third grand-child

'She is an amazing young woman, she has an incredible life story. She has stood up for herself, she has made her own way in the world.

'And then she falls in love, and he falls in love with her, and everybody should be celebrating that because it is a true love story.'

Mrs Clinton said the duchess might find it easier to cope with the pressure if she learned 'techniques' such as 'some humour, some deflection', but added: 'But it is tough what she is going through and I think she deserves a lot better.'

The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate is currently on a publicity tour for The Book of Gutsy Women, co-authored with her daughter, Chelsea Clinton.

It is believed that the meeting may have been arranged with the help of the couple's head of communications, Sara Latham, who worked for Mrs Clinton on her campaign.

Mrs Clinton admitted this week that she was under 'huge, huge pressure' to run again against President Trump next year but while she would never rule it out, says it is not currently among her future plans.

Pictured: The visit at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor (pictured) was a 'fan-girl meeting'

Meghan has also become firm friends with Michelle Obama, wife of the former US President Barack Obama, another Democrat, with whom she has also met privately.

But she has previously been outspoken in her condemnation of the Republican president, Donald Trump, and there were reports that neither she nor her husband wanted to play any part in his state visit to the UK earlier this year, although Harry eventually did.

Meghan and Harry, 35, are embarking on a six week self-imposed 'sabbatical' from official royal duties to spend time together as a family, dividing their time between the UK and the US, after what aides say has been an 'exhausting' year.

Buckingham Palace have confirmed that this would also include not spending Christmas with the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family at Sandringham.

Instead they will join Meghan's mother, Doria, at an undisclosed location.

Meghan is not the only member of the Royal Family to have met Mrs Clinton this week.

On Wednesday she went to see Prince William at Kensington Palace where they discussed issues including the environment.