These days, Meghan Markle carefully chooses when and how she speaks to media, and when she does, it’s always for a very specific reason.
Her latest interview with Variety proves as much. For the first time following the Queen’s death on September 8, Markle has opened up about how she and Harry have navigated the family bereavement, and the unique situation they were in given the Monarch’s globally renowned profile.
“It’s been a complicated time,” Markle responded when asked by journalist Matt Donnelly about how she and Prince Harry have been since the Queen’s passing.
“There’s been such an outpouring of love and support. I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time,” she added.
The 40-year-old spoke of the Queen’s unparalleled legacy within The Firm, telling Donnelly that she was a “shining example” of female leadership.
“What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother 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.
“I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her.”
Markle added that her husband had found a positive in the sadness of the loss: “My husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband.'”
Of course, that wasn’t all she had to say. Keep scrolling for her biggest revelations from the interview.
Meghan’s relationship with the Queen
Markle’s relationship with the Queen has widely been regarded as cordial, if not friendly, and the Duchess of Sussex has previously vocalised the respect and admiration she had for the history-making Monarch.
Perhaps in her biggest show of love for her grandmother-in-law, Markle and Prince Harry also named their daughter Lilibet, which was the nickname given to the Queen by her family.
In her Variety interview, Markle reflected on the first joint engagement she shared with the Queen back in 2018.
“I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate,” the royal said.
“I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”
Reaction to the Oprah interview
Markle was pregnant with her second child when her explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey dropped in March 2021. In it, she and Prince Harry dropped a series of damning claims about the toxicity of the royal family.
Upon being asked about the widespread reaction to the clip, which was viewed by 18 million people, Markle told Donnelly: “One thing I really remember was Gloria Steinem’s birthday, a few days after it aired. I really wanted to celebrate her at what I thought was just going to be a small and intimate birthday lunch.
“I envisioned it being us eating sandwiches in this cottage she was staying at. Instead, it was an extravaganza—by the way, as she deserves. But I hadn’t really seen people in a long time, and the interview had come out maybe a week before.”
She added that when she arrived at the party, she initially felt a bit uncomfortable, “But before I could let my uncertainty linger, Pamela Adlon came up to me and greeted me with such warmth and kindness. She toured me around the room, and at every turn, more generosity and love was felt.”
She added: “Maybe it’s just a testament to the kind of company Glo keeps, but I also think these women were extraordinary to ensure I felt so welcomed. It’s like they knew exactly what I needed to feel in that moment. It meant, and still means, so very much to me. The power of sisterhood and female support can never be underestimated.”
The docuseries about Harry & Meghan
Markle has provided some more insight about the docuseries currently in production with renowned documentary-maker Liz Garbus at the helm.
“It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story,” she told Variety. “Even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”
She added that her prior experience acting on Suits had given her a better appreciation for being involved in a full-scale production.
“For me, having worked on Suits, it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.”
On her podcast, Archetypes
Markle told Variety that after she left Suits in 2018 (shortly before her wedding to Prince Harry), she didn’t think she’d ever be able to be in the entertainment industry ever again. But these days, things have shifted.
“The entire culture has changed; streamers have changed things. The ability to create zeitgeist moments like we had in the ’90s—where everyone would tune in at the same time for a show or gather for one moment?—that doesn’t happen anymore,” she explained.
“When I was doing Suits, that character, Rachel Zane, was in your living room with you while you were in your pyjamas eating Chinese takeout. That’s how connected the experience felt then. But to create a cultural moment or conversation requires something different today. Podcasting has been really interesting in that way. It might be one of the only remaining forums where people are alone to listen.”
Will she ever return to acting?
Markle has given a reasonably clear-cut “no” in answer to this question, though she did add in her Variety interview that she would “never say never”.
“I’m done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not,” she said.
Will Meghan’s children ever go into acting?
While their mother has stepped back from the industry, she revealed that she would be happy for her children to go into acting, if they ever chose that path.
“I would say, ‘Great!'” She said when asked how she’d react in that circumstance.
“When you become a parent, you genuinely want your kids to find the things that bring them complete joy. They’re our kids, obviously, and they’re part of a legacy and a tradition and a family that will have other expectations. But I want them to be able to carve out their own path.
“If it’s the entertainment industry, great. And also, good luck. There are so many people that will talk about what opened the door for my children. But it still takes talent and a lot of grit. We’re creating multidimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That’s who our kids are.”
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