Meghan Markle revealed what it means to be able to use her "voice" again after stepping down as a senior member of the royal family.
In a discussion with Emily Ramshaw, co-founder and CEO of the 19th*, the Duchess of Sussex said it's a welcome change to finally be able to advocate for causes of great importance to her"It's something I look forward to being a part of," Meghan said of the current political climate and the Black Lives Matter movement. "And being part of using my voice in a way that I haven't been able to of late. So, yeah, it's good to be home."
When the Duchess of Sussex married Prince Harry in 2018 and became an official working royal, she ultimately pledged impartiality when it comes to politics, as the British parliament deems royal intervention, whether it be direct or indirect, unconstitutional. It's for this same reason that her husband has chosen to never vote in an election.
But when the Duke and Duchess ceased working for the royal family in March, they gained more freedom to act and speak as they wish. Now several months later, Meghan is able to openly discuss her beliefs on topics like racial and gender inequality.
She brought this up in her discussion with Emily, noting that she feels hopeful about the future of the United States despite the unrest. "To come back and to just see this state of affairs, I think at the onset, if I'm being honest, it was just devastating. It was so sad to see where our country was in that moment," she said. "If there's any silver lining in that, I would say that in the weeks after the murder of George Floyd, in the peaceful protests that you were seeing, in the voices that were coming out, in the way that people were actually owning their role…it shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration, because I can see that the tide is turning."
But the 39-year-old added that the changes she hopes to see in this country and beyond are only possible if the media makes institutional changes, hinting slightly at the way British tabloids have notoriously depicted her. She shared, "What's so fascinating, at least from my standpoint and my personal experience over the past couple years, is the headline alone, the clickbait alone makes an imprint."
The former actress continued, "That is part of how we start to view the world, how we interact with other people. I think there's so much toxicity out there. My husband and I talk about it often, this economy of attention. That is what is monetizable right now when you're looking at the digital space and media."
But the star noted that prioritizing profits comes at the cost of accuracy. "If you're just trying to grab someone's attention and keep it, you're going for something salacious versus something truthful," she said.
Meghan participated in this conversation from her and Harry's new home in Montecito, Calif. The pair and their son, Archie Harrison, moved to a palatial estate in July, following a months-long stay at Tyler Perry's Beverly Hills home.
As the family of three settles into their new home, they're also making plans for their future. First on Meghan's to-do list is voting in the upcoming elections. She told Marie Claire that she has every intention of submitting her ballot in order to "make all of our voices heard."