Meghan attends a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games. (Photo: Getty Images)
Cover Meghan attends a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games. (Photo: Getty Images)

Markle made headlines again with her new interview with US publication, The Cut

It has been just over a year since Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, sat down with Oprah Winfrey to do their controversial tell-all interview shortly after stepping back from the royal family. In 85 minutes, the couple made several allegations about the British royals, including how some members were racist, that they had been cut off financially and that Markle’s time with the royals was “almost unsurvivable”.

Now that enough time has passed, the dust has (more or less) settled and it looks like she is once again ready to speak about her past experience as a working member of the royal family. 

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“I feel it. It’s good. I’m, like, so excited to talk,” she gushed in the revealing exclusive interview she did with The Cut, which was published on August 29.

The interview has since been dissected and devoured by eager readers (and haters). Below are seven takeaways from her latest “tell-all” interview. 

1. She teased a return to Instagram

Before she was engaged to Harry, Markle was active on social media and regularly shared pictures of herself as she attended events as an actress with her three million Instagram followers. When she got engaged to Harry, she was forced to relinquish control over her social media presence. 

“It was a big adjustment—a huge adjustment to go from that kind of autonomy to a different life,” said Markle in her interview.

At that point, Markle was allowed to join Harry, Kate and Prince William on a preexisting account, @kensingtonroyal. However, she had no control over the account. 

“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,” she explains. This is a media pool in the United Kingdom.

As a result, usually, the photos ended up on media outlets before Markle could even post them herself, which she did not appreciate. 

“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?” she asked. “You tell me how that makes sense and then I’ll play that game.”

In April 2019, the couple launched their own Instagram account (@sussexroyal) where they mostly had full control over what was posted. This account was deactivated when the pair stepped back from their royal duties and Markle has mentioned in previous interviews that she will not be getting back to social media as the bullying was too much. 

But it seems like the mother-of-two may be ready for an Instagram comeback.

“Do you want to know a secret?” she asked her interviewer. “I’m getting back…on Instagram.”

Time will tell whether it is true or not. 

2. Her Californian Mansion Is Worth Nearly US$15 Million

Did you know that Harry and Markle spent US$14.65 million on their Montecito mansion?

“We did everything we could to get this house,” Markle confessed. “Because you walk in and go... Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”

However, she mentioned that what really sold them on the house were two massive Dr Seussian palm trees that were right in the centre of the lawn. She explained that it represented Harry and herself, always connected and supportive of each other. 

3. They Wanted to Earn Their Own Keep As Working Royals

Speaking of being able to afford multi-million dollar homes, Markle shared that one of the reasons the pair decided to part ways with royal life was because they were not allowed to work. 

Before leaving royal life, Markle and Harry lived at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. At that point, British tabloids mercilessly accused the pair of using exorbitant amounts of taxpayer funds to renovate their home (which has since been repaid).

As a result, they decided to work to earn their own money on behalf of the monarchy. This was so they could not be accused of mishandling money again. They then 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.”

Markle added that she was not sure why she was denied this right.

4. She and Harry Are Hard at Work on Multiple Projects

Now that the pair has moved away from the royal family, Markle and Harry have been quick to fill their time with multiple independent projects. For one, in October last year, the couple launched a new three-tier company, Archewell. The company was a way for them to make money as well as to live a life that was purely dictated by them.

The couple has a US$25 million Spotify deal and a US$100 Netflix deal as well as Markle’s new podcast series, Archetypes, that was released this month and premiered with Serena Williams as a guest star.

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5. She Claims She Was Unprepared for Royal Life

In her interview with Oprah, Markle opened up about the fact that she was very unprepared for royal life. However, in her interview with The Cut, Markle delved deeper.

“I​​ was an actress,” she said. “My entire job was, ‘Tell me where to stand. Tell me what to say. Tell me how to say it. Tell me what to wear, and I’ll do it.’”

She went on to say that she wished she had watched more movies that depicted the pressures of joining a royal family such as The Prince & Me. 

“Yeah. That would’ve been really helpful. That would’ve been a very key tutorial to have had in advance of all this,” she said.

6. The Rift Has Torn Apart Both Harry and Markle’s Families

Since Markle and Harry stepped away from the royal family, the world has been curious about their current relationship with the royal family. 

“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,” she said. Markle was also referring to her decision to take legal action against her own father, with whom she has severed ties despite spending most of her childhood and teenage years together.

7. She Has More to Share... But Will She?

While it is clear that Markle is enjoying her life away from scrutiny, she hinted that she still has much to say about the trauma of being part of the royal family despite forgiving them.

“I think forgiveness is really important. It takes a lot more energy to not forgive,” she said. “But it takes a lot of effort to forgive. I’ve really made an active effort, especially knowing that I can say anything,”

That said, this isn’t the end of the story, “It’s interesting, I’ve never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking,” she revealed. “I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.”

She added that she chooses not to reveal certain things because she is still healing.

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