The Duchess of Sussex admitted, “Let’s be honest, that was not very myself,” as she looked back on a royal rule that felt unnatural to her in a recent interview.
Meghan Markle, 44, shared her thoughts during an appearance on The Circuit with Emily Chang, featured in an episode of the Bloomberg Originals series released on Aug. 26 — coinciding with the debut of the second season of With Love, Meghan on Netflix.
Balancing Relatability and Royal Life
During their discussion, Chang asked, “Is there an inherent tension in trying to be relatable while also being a duchess?” The conversation touched on Meghan’s current life in California with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, as well as her professional ventures.
Meghan replied, “No, I don’t find — I’m just being myself. So I think, probably, it was different several years ago where I couldn’t be as vocal,” alluding to her years as a working royal before she and Harry stepped down in 2020.
The Pantyhose Rule
Looking back on one small but symbolic detail, Meghan recalled, “I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time,” which prompted her to giggle while Chang joined in with laughter.
“Let’s be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn’t seen pantyhose since the ’80s, when they came in the little egg? That felt a little bit inauthentic, but that’s a silly example,” she said.
She explained further, “But it is an example of when you’re able to dress the way you wanna dress and you’re able to say the things that are true and you’re able to show up in the space really organically and authentically, that’s being comfortable in your own skin. And that’s, of course, had different chapters in my life. But right now, no, I don’t feel, I don’t feel that I need to prove anything.”
Dressing to Blend In
This isn’t the first time Meghan has reflected on how clothing reflected her role in the royal family. In the 2022 docuseries Harry & Meghan, she explained that during her time in the U.K., she often avoided bold colors.
“Most of the time that I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color. There was thought in that,” she said.
She elaborated, “To my understanding, you could never wear the same color as Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth] if there’s a group event, but then you also shouldn’t be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family,” appearing to reference Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla.
“So I was like, ‘Well, what’s a color that they’ll probably never wear?’ Camel, beige, white,” she recalled. “So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was also so I could just blend in. I’m not trying to stand out here. There was no version of me joining this family and me not doing everything I could to fit in. I don’t want to embarrass the family.”
Meghan’s reflections came the same day Netflix released season two of her lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, where cameras follow her as she cooks, crafts, and creates alongside guests like Chrissy Teigen, Tan France, Jay Shetty, and José Andrés.
