Breaking from the tradition of the members of the royal family keeping hush-hush about their thoughts and feelings, Meghan Markle is not shy about voicing her opinions. Long before the Duchess of Sussex ever met Prince Harry, she was an advocate for all the wonderful things she believes in, like women's equality and fighting overall injustice in the world. As we know from their engagement interview, this is something that Meghan and Prince Harry bonded over, and what better way to make a connection? But over the years, before and after she joined the royal family, Meghan has said some pretty inspiring things about feminism and women's rights.
But these aren't the only topics she's covered.
The Duchess of Sussex has also not been afraid to get personal. She's much more tight-lipped now since the British media hasn't been so kind to her, but she has still some snippets of her personal life with us, including some sweet thoughts about Harry.
If there's one thing we know for sure about the duchess, it's that she puts some thought behind her words before she speaks, and as a result, nothing ever sounds bad coming out of her mouth. She was born to speak in front of crowds, and honestly, she was born to be a royal. So for those out there that are in need of a little inspiration or just a good "aww," here are 19 of Meghan Markle's most memorable quotes.
She's full of words of wisdom, this one!
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
On Being in Love With Harry
The soon-to-be duchess told Vanity Fair in 2016, "I’m sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us. It’s part of what makes it so special, that it’s just ours. But we’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”
On All of the Attention
During the engagement interview, Meghan said, "There's a misconception that because I have worked in the entertainment industry that this was something I'd be familiar with, but even though I'd been on my show for six years at that point and working before that, I'd never been part of tabloid culture; I was never in pop culture to that degree."
On Finding Herself
On her popular blog, The Tig, Meghan wrote, "My 20s were brutal — a constant battle with myself, judging my weight, my style, my desire to be as cool/as hip/as smart/as 'whatever' as everyone else. My teens were even worse — grappling with how to fit in, and what that even meant."
On Being Biracial
Meghan has always been confident about her identity, and with an interview for Elle magazine, she said, "While my mixed heritage may have created a gray area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that. To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman. "
On Getting Things Done
Boy, did Meghan drop some truth on her blog, The Tig. The soon-to-be duchess wrote, "I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches — I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works. And this type of work is what feeds my soul and fuels my purpose."
On Having a Support System
Meghan told InStyle, "Building a strong team around you and being able to really communicate well with them is part of what's going to bring you a higher level of success."
We can't help but assume Prince Harry is a huge part of her support system!
On Work/Life Balance
She also told InStyle, "You don't need to make your life your job. I have to find that balance for myself, as well … I think you have to make time for yourself so that work doesn't become the end-all be-all."
We can easily see how Meghan is adopting this philosophy in her royal life as well.
Preach It, Meghan
Meghan is certainly full of all sorts of words of wisdom! During her keynote speech at the Create & Cultivate conference in 2016, Meghan said, "Don't give it five minutes if you're not going to give it five years."
On Respecting Ourselves
Meghan was talking about the International Day of the Girl when she said, "We just need to be kinder to ourselves. If we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, can you imagine how much better off we would be?"
On Women's Education
Meghan gave her first royal tour speech while she and Harry were in Fiji, and she sure did have a lot to say. The duchess said, "Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly, the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital."
On the Future for Girls
During the same speech, the duchess remarked, "When girls are given the right tools to succeed, they can create incredible futures, not only for themselves, but also for those around them."
Preach it, Meg!
On Feminism
In New Zealand, the duchess gave a speech about women's right to vote, and needless to say, it was one of the most inspiring things we've ever heard. The duchess said, "Yes, women's suffrage is about feminism, but feminism is about fairness."
On Fame
The soon-to-be duchess also spoke to Elle magazine about the price of fame. Meghan revealed, "With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility — to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings. And, if I'm lucky enough, to inspire."
On Inequality
On an International Women's Day Panel, Meghan held nothing back by saying, "If there was a wrong, if there is a lack of justice, and there is an inequality, then someone needs to say something. And why not me?"
Getting Boys Involved
During a panel, the duchess said, "If you have boys as part of the conversation as well, you're moving the needle in a different way because they're not mimicking learned behavior that could be incredibly sabotaging for young girls' potential."
On Including Everyone
During that same panel, Meghan said, "I agree with [Annie Lennox] that we must be global feminists and include men and boys." Even after she became a royal, the duchess was not shy about speaking her mind when it comes to feminism.
On Sharing Responsibility
Meghan definitely practices what she preaches! This one is from way back, because in 1993 during an interview with Nick News, Meghan had this to say, "I don't think it's right for kids to grow up thinking that just mom does everything."
On Sexism
Meghan later commented on that interview when she was a kid and said, “Truth be told, at 11, I don’t even think I knew what sexism meant. I just knew that something struck me internally. No one was telling me that it was wrong, but I knew that it was wrong.”
On the Importance of University
During the same education speech while she and Harry were on tour Down Under, Meghan said, “It was through scholarships, financial aid programs, and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition — that I was able to attend university. And, without question, it was worth every effort.”
