Ever since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got engaged in 2017 — and maybe even before that — it was clear that she wasn't going to be like the rest of the royal family (or even like Kate Middleton, the last woman to marry into it before she did). Not only was she an American actress and a divorcée, but the Duchess of Sussex has never been the kind of person who avoids speaking her mind in order to toe the party line … or, in her case, the monarchy's line.
It took some time to come out of her shell, but before long, Meghan was sharing in a documentary the ugly side of the postpartum period as a royal, and she only continued to get more honest and real from there. And since she and Harry have made their royal exit, it seems like she's only felt more free to speak her mind.
Here are the times when Meghan managed to ruffle people's feathers — both royals and the public — by speaking her truth over the years. It might stir up some drama, but we love how honest she is, no matter what the cost.
Postpartum Struggles
In the documentary Meghan & Harry: An African Journey, which aired in October 2019, Meghan got real about her life as a new mom in the royal family in a way we'd never seen before from a working member of The Firm.
"Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging," the Duchess of Sussex said at the time. "And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it's a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed."
This didn't just take viewers aback — apparently, the royals were surprised by her comments, too, and certain senior members of the royal family (read: Queen Elizabeth) were reportedly "frustrated" by the interview.
Allegations of Racism
A lot of explosive moments happened during Meghan and Harry's sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, but one of the biggest was when they accused senior royals of being racist toward their son, Archie, and questioning what his skin color might be before he was even born.
"[Harry] wanted to make sure that I knew, and if I had an opportunity to share it, that it was not his grandmother or his grandfather who were part of those conversations," Meghan said at the time.
The Truth About Kate
There had been a lot of gossip about an incident before Meghan and Harry's 2018 wedding, and word on the street was that Meghan had made Kate cry. Instead, during her Oprah interview, Meghan clarified that actually the opposite was true.
"I don't think it's fair to [Kate] to get into the details because she apologized, and I've forgiven her. It was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologized, and she brought me flowers and a note, apologizing," Meghan said.
Given how beloved Kate is, this ended up backfiring on Meghan big time, even if it was the truth.
'Deal or No Deal'
On an episode of her Archetypes podcast, Meghan opened up about how much she regretted her stint as a briefcase girl on Deal or No Deal, claiming that it had made her feel "objectified," which didn't sit right with a lot of people.
"I was thankful for the job but not for how it made me feel, which was … not smart. And by the way, I was surrounded by smart women on that stage with me," she said. "But that wasn't the focus of why we were there. And I would end up leaving with this pit in my stomach, knowing that I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage."
Not Actually Controversial
During a speech Meghan gave at a Fortune summit in 2020, she acknowledged that people think certain things she says are controversial when they actually aren't.
"If you look back at anything I've said, what ends up being inflammatory is people's interpretation of it. But if you listen to what I actually say it's not controversial," she said.
That still wasn't enough to quiet her haters, though!
Her Distaste of the Royal Rota
During an interview with The Cut, Meghan said that she wasn't keen on the royal protocols that would dictate the way she could share photos of her son, Archie, after he was born, which led her to avoid sharing anything at all.
"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? You tell me how that makes sense and then I'll play that game," she said.
Why She Left The Firm
In the same interview, Meghan admitted that she and Harry had tried to remain working members of the royal family and asked for accommodations to be able to make their own money and have a bit of separation, but they were shot down.
"Anything to just … because just by existing, we were upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy. So we go, 'Okay, fine, let's get out of here. Happy to," she said.
Responding to the Backlash
After The Cut interview, Meghan did another interview with Variety, where she responded to the backlash she'd gotten the last time she'd spoken out. (And of course, this only served to make the situation worse.)
Meghan admitted that she'd been too "trusting" and said, "I have to remember that I don't ever want to become so jaded that that piece of me goes away. So despite any of those things? Onward. I can survive it."
Judging Paris Hilton
Elsewhere in the Variety interview, Meghan admitted that she'd been quick to judge Paris Hilton before she invited her on as a guest on her podcast, even claiming that she didn't "grow up pretty" like Paris did.
"I grew up as the smart one," she said. "So much of what I ended up thinking about, when I thought about Paris, was envy and judgment — two of the most dangerous things. But then you hear about her trauma and her life and her buying into this persona. Ultimately, I told her, 'I'm really sorry that I judged you.' I wanted her to be safe and comfortable."
Unfortunately, this comment ended up drawing quite a bit of ire online.
Growing Up Biracial
When Mariah Carey was a guest on Archetypes, Meghan opened up about her experience growing up biracial, and how it all changed when she married into the royal family.
"If there's any time in my life that it's been more focused on my race, it's only once I started dating my husband," she said. "Then I started to understand what it was like to be treated like a Black woman because up until then, I had been treated like a mixed woman. And things really shifted."
This instantly drew criticism, with people saying that Meghan had never experienced "real racism."
Being Called a Diva
During the same podcast episode, Mariah called Meghan a "diva," which she admitted she originally thought was Mariah making a slight against her.
"When she said diva, she was talking about the way that I dress, the posture, the clothing, the 'fabulousness' as she sees it," Meghan said. "She meant it as 'chic,' as 'aspirational.' She meant 'diva' as a compliment, but I heard it as a dig."
This led to Fox News host Megyn Kelly saying that she was "gagging on the narcissism" present in their conversation — and she wasn't the only one.
Nursery Fire
During the debut episode of her podcast, Meghan shared a scary story for the first time: Archie's nursery caught fire while the Sussexes were traveling in Africa, and while Archie was safe, Meghan was still required to continue on with her schedule after being so "shaken up."
"And what do we have to do? Go out and do another official engagement? I said, 'This doesn't make any sense,' she said. "I was like, 'Can you just tell people what happened?' And so much, I think, optically, the focus ends up being on how it looks instead of how it feels."
People weren't impressed with Meghan telling this story over two years later, though, with some accusing her of using it to stay relevant.
Offering Forgiveness
While speaking with The Cut, Meghan said she was willing to put the effort out there to "forgive" the royals for everything that happened.
"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."
However, Telegraph contributor Nile Gardiner — along with many others — took the opportunity to call Meghan "arrogant" for that.
Being 'Lucky'
During an episode of Archetypes featuring guest Mindy Kaling, Meghan said that she was often told she was "lucky" for being chosen by Prince Harry, and how he's often said the opposite.
"Thankfully, I have a partner who was countering that narrative for me and going, 'They've got it all wrong. I'm the lucky one because you chose me,'" she said.
People had a more negative take on that than Meghan likely would have hoped, though.
She Can Say Anything
During that controversial interview with The Cut, Meghan said that nothing was stopping her from saying "anything" she wanted about the royal family except for her. "I have a lot to say until I don't. Do you like that? Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song," she said.
Not only were her critics upset about this, but reportedly, the royals themselves were, too, as an insider told ET.
