When Duchess Meghan Markle first came into the spotlight — well, the royal spotlight, that is — people the world over began following her every move, outfit, and word. Whether they were questioning her bare (gasp!) shoulders, her apparent British intonation or her so-called penchant for rule-breaking, it’s all the same. Life as Meghan Markle means being looked at under a microscope. And it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
She’s got a new marriage and a brand new baby to worry about — all while dealing with nonstop media coverage. For example, media reports keep claiming that she’s fighting with Kate Middleton. And we have to say: It just seems unfair and pointless to pick on Meghan as much as people do.
According to a post by Elle Magazine, the duchess has had some serious words to share about the pressure she’s getting as a new member of the royal family. Apparently, when Meghan attended London’s The Lion King premiere just a few days ago (where she met Queen Bey and had a love-fest), she said something super, extra poignant to Pharrell Williams.
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When Williams met her, he said, “So happy for your union…. Love is amazing. It’s wonderful. Don’t ever take that for granted, but what it means in today’s climate, I just wanted to tell you, it’s so significant for so many of us. Seriously. It’s significant. We cheer you guys on.”
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What a beautiful statement, huh?
And he’s not wrong.
Meghan responded by saying this simple but powerful sentence: “Thank you….They don’t make it easy.” Of course, we’re led to believe that the “they” she’s referencing is the media — particularly the British press.
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We can only assume that Meghan is probably somewhat affected by the constant tabloid rumors — and who wouldn’t be?!
She’s only human, after all — but something Meghan said once stands out. She told Vanity Fair, right before her engagement to Prince Harry, “I don’t read any press. I haven’t even read press for Suits… The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise.”
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We hope she’s still embracing that mentality and letting the nonsense — as unfair as it is — slide away.
Sadly, we do know how royal pressure impacts people’s lives simply by looking at royal history.
In Princess Diana’s case, she was super outspoken about her experience within the royal household. Sadly, she said, “The day I walked down the aisle at St. Paul’s Cathedral, I felt that my personality was taken away from me, and I was taken over by the royal machine.”
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Princess Diana also said,
The most daunting aspect was the media attention, because my husband and I, we were told when we got engaged that the media would go quietly, and it didn’t; and then when we were married they said it would go quietly and it didn’t; and then it started to focus very much on me, and I seemed to be on the front of a newspaper every single day, which is an isolating experience. The higher the media put you, place you, is the bigger the drop.
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That’s a lot to take in!
According to US Weekly, a source said that Meghan is fighting back against the rumor mill by doing her own thing her own way: “It’s hard for Meghan in London because the press is so vicious to her there… This is her life. But her mentality is like, ‘Well, if this is what it’s going to be like, I’m going to do what I want to do. I won’t play by these rules.'”
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And even though Meghan had some knowledge of the spotlight before she married into the royal family, it was nothing like what she is experiencing today – which is a daily onslaught of pressure, judgment, and even hatred. Not to mention the invasion of privacy around her family.
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And then there’s the made-up garbage.
Like Meghan’s feud with Kate Middleton, to which Kensington Palace responded with grace and brevity: “This never happened.”
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According to royal family correspondent Katie Nicholl, the truth is that there probably are some areas in which the royals are adjusting to their roles and place in the royal house. But that most of the rumors we hear are probably lies.
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Nicholl told Glamour, “I think this idea of there being a catfight between the two duchesses has made tantalizing headlines, but I don’t believe that….I’ve never heard from my sources that there has ever been a feud or a falling-out. I had heard about an upset over the dress fitting for Princess Charlotte. And I had heard that while Harry was very keen for the two of them to become best friends, there was never that sort of friendship.”
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Nicholl also said, “They quite quickly realized they were two pretty mature women—quite different women—and really the only thing they had in common was they’d married princes.” And to be honest, this sounds pretty realistic.
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Oddly enough, it seems that people love to see women fighting with one another.
And the fact is, the brothers probably clash a bit here and there, too — as brothers do! Nicholls continued, “I do think there is some truth to there having been some tension—not just between the duchesses but between the dukes, as well.”
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In the end, Meghan is a mature, outspoken, and intelligent woman and mother.
We need to stop fueling our own boredom by making up lies about her.
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Let’s instead focus our attention on all the good that the young royal family is doing!
They’re bringing the conversation of modernity, diversity, and inclusivity to the table!
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Anyone would feel the heat in a kitchen of this magnitude.
Here’s to hoping Meghan can make some sense of it — and that it gets easier for her.