Meghan Markle has let her guard down in a rare interview, offering readers a poignant insight into the ongoing battle between Meghan and her adopted identity as the Duchess of Sussex.
Described as everything from disingenuous, to calculating, to more positive characteristics of determined and reliable, even “Diana-like”, the media, and by extension the public, just can’t seem to make their mind up about Meghan.
WATCH: Meghan Markle shares from the heart to Variety.
But whilst it may be hard to imagine who the real Duchess of Sussex is, it seems, at least for the purposes of her interview with Journalist Matt Donnelly from Variety, that she is just like us, even touching on her mourning experience following the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her,” Meghan said of her grandmother-in-law.
“What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother [Harry’s] was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like and I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”
Following a turbulent two years, Meghan shared that she was looking “energized and excited” about her and Harry’s ongoing work in the philanthropic space.
“In big moments in life, you get a lot of perspectives. It makes you wonder what you want to focus your energy on. Right now, we feel energizes and excited about all of the things we’ve been building toward. We’re also focused on our foundation”.
As it continues to expand its philanthropic footprint, Meghan and Prince Harry’s company, Archewell, has lent its support to the Marshall Plan for Moms. Led by CEO and founder Reshma Saujani, the organization was built around easing the challenges of the pandemic for women caring for children while working. The group targets several important areas — pay equity, reproductive rights, mental health, and rallying private employers to advocate for public policy. It serves roughly 25,000 families, and Archewell is a financial supporter and founding member of the project, which launched in May.
“In the U.S., one of the biggest barriers to winning policy change is that as a society we don’t value our mothers and all of the invisible work they’re doing to make our families, our businesses, and our entire country function,” says Saujani. “So when Meghan Markle, who is an icon to so many people, uses her platform to stand up for moms and to lend a voice to that experience, she’s sending a powerful signal that we matter and our needs are important.”
Meghan describes the group as “an incredible organization that works nationwide to give families all the help they need at this moment.” She adds, “Their work is in alignment with the work that is deeply important to me, personally, and that I will continue to do.”
Megan has also been busy working away on her brand new, chart-topping podcast Archetypes released under her own production company Archewell Audio, a podcast where Meghan, alongside guests, “investigates, dissects and subverts the labels that try to hold women back”.
WATCH: Meghan Markle hugs fan outside Windsor Castle. (Article continues after video)
“I think feeling understood and seen are really important. That has been a common denominator that has come up in “Archetypes” and the work I do with communities of women. People just want to be seen. That is also where representation comes into play.”
Speaking on an ideal project for Archewell, Meghan said that “love” was a great baseline for the kind of shows and documentaries that alongside her husband, they were looking forward to producing.
“So much of how my husband and I see things is through our love story. People love love. I’m not excluded in that sentiment. And our definition of love is really expansive: Partner love, self-love, the love of community and family.”
“For my husband, the Invictus Games have been such a huge piece of his life and his work, having been in the army for 10 years and working for the rehabilitation of wounded vets and their families. We talk about emotional injuries that come from those types of experiences. Those are love stories. For scripted, we want to think about how we can evolve from that same space and do something fun! It doesn’t always have to be so serious. Like a good rom-com. Don’t we miss them? I miss them so much. I’ve probably watched When Harry Met Sally a million times. And all the Julia Roberts rom-coms. We need to see those again.”
