It’s been just over a year since the 85-minute tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle is back, but clearly there is still more to say.
In an exclusive interview with The Cut’s Allison P. Davis, the blogger-turned-actress-turned-royal revealed a few snippets of her new life with husband Harry and children Archie and Lilibet in sunny Southern California. Although not quite as groundbreaking as her bombshell reveals to Oprah last March, Markle spoke candidly of the damage inflicted by the British tabloids, her current projects, and what the future may hold for her strained relations with The Firm.
Despite a mixed bag of responses – including scathing criticism from the UK Daily Mail’ s royal correspondent Richard Palmer – the piece depicted sides of Markle that were more or less censored for the past three years – her ambition and autonomy.
Of the several scenes depicting the Duchess of Sussex’s current lifestyle – all peppered with levity, honesty and some sly winks (a special mention going out to the family’s new friend and neighbour Victoria Jackson and her mini-pigs) – seven moments shone above the rest.
1. The family is busy… But they can’t really say with what
The 41-year-old former Suits star is no stranger to hard, independent work. That was, after all, one of the reasons why life as a royal did not mesh so well with her. Her exploits of the day are numerous, including a foray into podcasting and multiple Netflix ventures – most of which she could not (or would not) explain in detail.
Markle spoke of the family’s new three-tier company, Archewell, launched in October 2020. Created as a way to put their combined creativity to use and to make some cash following “Megxit” (the derogatory term introduced by the tabloids to describe the couple’s split from the Windsors), it ultimately is, as Davis put it, “the exact job they wanted to have as royals but were denied”.
Of course, this was all only made possible thanks to the reported $25 million Spotify deal and $100 million Netflix deal the couple managed to land.
Her new podcast, Archetypes, was released by Spotify this month and has already gone gangbusters thanks not only to the fact that her guests all happen to be extremely famous (to premiere with Serena Williams almost guarantees greatness), but also to the issues she grapples with: the unfair labelling of women.
As for the rest of their projects? Well, we’re not too sure. Other than the podcast and a few planned charity events, Archewell has not released much in the way of concrete content. Markle gracefully slammed rumours of a reality show about the pair, but quickly followed up with some hints towards some kind of documentary involving Liz Garbus.
With the axing of animated series Pearl and some alleged impatience around the Invictus Games Netflix docuseries, it remained uncertain what will come next for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. But one thing was certain: they would watch over their kingdom from their throne-like plush club chairs. I guess some parts of royalty never really disappear.
2. She’s returning to Instagram! Or maybe she isn’t…
Proving that emotional trauma really does cut deep, Markle was indecisive about her potential return to Instagram. Having originally shared much of her life on her personal socials, her marriage to Harry meant a total overhaul of her online life.
“It was a big adjustment — a huge adjustment to go from that kind of autonomy to a different life,” Markle said.
She revealed what it was like using the Royals’ Instagram, @KensingtonRoyal – a largely censored experience and one that was heavily influenced by the British media.
“There’s literally a structure by which if you want to release photos of your child, as a member of the family, you first have to give them to the Royal Rota, [the UK media pool]” she said. “Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?”
Although now rid of these constraints, she remained caught between wishing to create a personal account again and wishing to remain safe and concealed in her private, Tuscan villa home.
3. Their house is worth nearly $15 million
Speaking of her home, the couple spent a whopping USD $14.65 million on their Montecito mansion.
“We did everything we could to get this house,” Markle told Davis. “Because you walk in and go… Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”
Despite some pipes that need fixing (we have Harry to thank for that fun titbit), Markle said the home is their safe space, a coastal peace den that evokes images of a Napa vineyard.
But the clincher was the “two massive Dr. Seussian palm trees, dead centre on a lawn”. Markle explained that the trees represented her and her husband, always connected and supportive of each other. Beyond its gob smacking dollar value, Markle made it clear that the house was filled with love – a place where they can dance to their own beatboxing and fill harvest baskets with fruit and homemade jams.
4. They asked to work, but The Firm said no.
The British tabloids were merciless with Markle while they resided at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. Accused of using exorbitant amounts of taxpayer funds to renovate their home (all of which they have since repaid), the pair offered to earn their own money on behalf of the monarchy, making it impossible for the media to criticise them “under the guise of public interest”. They even offered to move to another Commonwealth state.
“Just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, ‘Okay, fine, let’s get out of here. Happy to,’” Markle said. “That, for whatever reason, is not something that we were allowed to do, even though several other members of the family do that exact thing.”
Why this was denied, Markle ultimately said she did not know. Her “knowing gaze” seemed to suggest she had a lot more to say on this, however.
Interestingly, Markle revealed she was not made to sign anything that would have prohibited her from speaking about her time as a royal, but the healing process was ongoing and something she could not rush by revealing all.
“I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.”
5. Fathers lost in translation
The most perplexing part of the interview came about when Markle brought up her father.
She spoke candidly about her estranged relationship with her dad, Thomas, and his tendency to share information with the media. She lamented the fact that “toxic tabloid culture has torn two families apart” – both her own and Harry’s.
“Harry said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process.’ It doesn’t have to be the same for them as it was for me, but that’s his decision,” Markle said.
The subject took up just one paragraph of the interview, yet a media blitz ensued. Publications like Page Six and People have interpreted her comment as confirmation of a major rift between Prince Harry and his father, Prince Charles. However, the UK’s Daily Mail wrote that Markle’s mouthpiece Omid Scobie revealed she was referring to the strained relationship with her own father.
Meghan Markle opens up about her new life in California in her interview with The Cut.Credit:Getty Images
6. Forgiveness is hard, but important.
The question on everyone’s mind as they approached the conclusion of the article was undoubtedly: ‘where does she stand with the royal family now?’. After exposing instances of racism against their unborn child, complicated dynamics between Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge, and suggesting Prince Charles dodged his son’s calls, the possibility of family unity seemed to be out the window.
But Markle arguably left a small, yet visible, opening, suggesting the possibility of forgiveness. She said she believed forgiveness to be of vital importance, and a far easier feat than holding resentment.
“But it takes a lot of effort to forgive,” Markle said.
She ended the interview on a note similar to that which she maintained throughout: saying a bit, but not too much. If one thing is now clear, Markle is enjoying her slightly more private life, free from pressures of royalty. She’s built protective walls around herself, and she isn’t quite ready to dismantle them.
“I have a lot to say until I don’t. Do you like that?” Markle said. “Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song.”
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