Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex is a powerful woman, who knows what she wants and is not afraid to voice her opinion. As we wait for what she has in stores for us, The Duchess of Sussex has always used her time to advocate for good causes and inspire people all over the world. Here are her most notable takes on various topics….
On kindness
During an interview with Esquire UK in 2013, Meghan opened up about the most important quality anyone can have: kindness. She said: “Kindness is the No. 1 quality I look for in a man. You can see in how he treats anyone – from a CEO to a housekeeper – and it’s a reflection of how nice a guy is. Funniness and confidence come after that. When a guy approaches me, it’s fantastic if he can make me laugh”.
On following your passions
Writing a goodbye message for her old lifestyle blog, The Tig, in 2017, Meghan took some time to inspire people to follow their dreams and fight for a better world. “Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being the change you wish to see in the world. Above all, don’t ever forget your worth – as I’ve told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough”.
On fame
Meghan saw her name stamped across tabloids all over the world after her marriage with Harry, but years of being a recognised actress had given her a lot of time to think about the responsibility of fame already. In 2016, two years before the royal wedding, she told Elle: “With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility – to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings. And, if I’m lucky enough, to inspire.”
On race
Writing for Elle magazine in 2015, Meghan reflected on finding her voice as a mixed-race woman and creating an identity in a world that still doesn’t completely understand the beauty of diversity. She wrote: “Just as black and white, when mixed, make grey, in many ways that’s what it did to my self-identity: it created a murky area of who I was, a haze around how people connected with me. I was grey. And who wants to be this indifferent color, devoid of depth and stuck in the middle? I certainly didn’t.”
On kindness
During an interview with Esquire UK in 2013, Meghan opened up about the most important quality anyone can have: kindness. She said: “Kindness is the No. 1 quality I look for in a man. You can see in how he treats anyone – from a CEO to a housekeeper – and it’s a reflection of how nice a guy is. Funniness and confidence come after that. When a guy approaches me, it’s fantastic if he can make me laugh”.
On being a feminist
The Duchess is very open about being a feminist and tries her best to fight all the stigma and misconceptions connected with the movement. “You don’t have to play dress up to be a feminist. You are a feminist exactly the way you are. You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women. There’s no uniform for feminism; You are a feminist exactly the way you are,” she told Create & Cultivate in 2020.
On gender equality
During her speech at the One Young World meeting at Windsor Castle in 2019, the Duchess spoke about gender equality and the importance of women supporting each other while fighting for equal rights. Talking to young women, she said: “It is said that girls with dreams become women with vision. May we empower each other to carry out such vision — because it isn’t enough to simply talk about equality. One must believe it. And it isn’t enough to simply believe in it. One must work at it. Let us work at it. Together. Starting now.”
On social media
Taking part on a panel event for International Women’s Day in 2019, Meghan talked about the importance of choosing our battles online and focusing on what brings positivity. “I don’t read anything, it’s much safer that way, but equally that’s just my own personal preference because I think positive or negative it can all sort of just feel like noise to a certain extent these days, as opposed to getting muddled with that to focus on the real cause. We make a choice on what we click on, we make a choice on what we read, we make a choice in what we engage in. That is our personal decision to not feed into negativity. To really be more cause-driven and action-based.”
On women in politics
Meghan has always been a big advocate for women rights and frequently supports women participation in the public sector as a way to actively fight for equality in politics. In an article for the Sydney Herald in 2018, Meghan wrote: “Women need a seat at the table, they need an invitation to be seated there, and in some cases, where this is not available, they need to create their own table. We need a global understanding that we cannot implement change effectively without women’s political participation”.
On identity
On her trajectory from actress to royal, Meghan has always tried to be true to herself and show courage to fight for what she believes is the best. This is reinforced by one of her more famous quotes, which says: “Make a choice: continue living your life feeling muddled in this abyss of self-misunderstanding, or you find your identity independent of it. I think that having the courage to step out of the norm is the most important thing.”
On fighting racism
During a call with the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust in 2020, the Duchess spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of facing discomfort in order to fight racism and inequality. “We have to, at this moment in time, say we’re going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now, because it’s only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all ships. Equality does not put anyone on the back foot, it puts us all on the same footing – which is a fundamental human right. And that’s what we’re talking about here.”
As we patiently wait for her various projects together with her Husband Prince Harry, let us remind ourselves of who she is and what she stands for.
