Meghan Markle’s feminism and outspoken nature saw tensions rise in Royal Family

08 March 2024 , 22:42

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Meghan is appearing at SXSW this week

Meghan Markle has made an appearance at the South by Southwest Festival, which is also known as SXSW, with the Duchess delivering a moving speech about feminism.

From fighting a sexist commercial at age 11 to promoting women getting the education they deserve and have a right to, Meghan has long been an advocate for feminism in all of its forms. But when she joined the Royal Family in 2018, some people believed her feminist voice was more silent than before.

Mere hours after becoming a full-time member of the royal family, a biography was published on the monarchy’s official website following Harry and Meghan exchanging vows in 2018. Meghan's biography page began: "I am proud to be a woman and a feminist."

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Meghan has always been outspoken when it comes to her feminist views (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Duchess' then-biography, she spoke of a "lifelong commitment" to many important causes close to her heart, including social justice and women’s empowerment.

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But despite Meghan's defiant and very feminist biography on the monarchy's website in 2018, just months after marrying Prince Harry she was accused of ditching her feminist views after undergoing a "conservative, upperclass makeover".

Laura Clancy and Hannah Yelin from Celebrity Studies said at the time: "Markle's activist voice has been either silenced or appropriated by the monarchy: she has quit her acting career, closed down her popular blog and social media accounts for all her online activity to be ciphered through Kensington Palace.

"Meanwhile, Markle is said to be receiving 'duchess lessons' from the Queen's advisers, to be brought up to speed with protocol and expectations of life with the monarchy."

But despite the academics' views on Meghan and her dwindling feminism after joining the Royal Family, some people still thought she was "too outspoken" with her "political opinions" that were allegedly "abusing royal privilege" at the time.

People also called for Meghan to be more like her sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales. But then last year it was claimed that Meghan "felt she had more right to speak than Kate" after joining Royal Family due to her being a "self-made" career woman, whereas Kate did not have this past.

Meghan reportedly "felt she was a self-made woman whereas Kate hadn't really had her own career", an insider told The Telegraph They added: "She seemed to feel like she had more of a right to speak than her sister-in-law, who had married into the family as an unknown whereas Meghan regarded herself as a philanthropist who could teach the royals a thing or two about charity."

Mollie Quirk