The Duchess of Sussex has revealed the one item of clothing she had to wear as a member of the royal family.
Meghan Markle, speaking to mark the launch of the second season of her Netflix lifestyle show, said she “had to wear nude pantyhose all the time” as a member of the royal family, which felt “a little bit inauthentic”.
In an in-depth interview to Bloomberg’s The Circuit With Emily Chang, Meghan described how she “couldn’t be as vocal” in the past, and said she was not able to dress the way she wanted to dress, after saying nude tights reminded her of 1980s movies.
Being able to tell her own story was the “most important thing in the world”, she added.
The duchess’s With Love, Meghan show premiered on Tuesday in which she revealed that spending three weeks apart from her children after the late Queen died left her “not well”, and how she dislikes baking and that it was the Duke of Sussex who said he loved her first.
She was asked by Chang: “Is there an inherent tension in trying to be relatable while also being a duchess?”
Meghan gave a little laugh and replied: “No… I’m just being myself. So I think, probably it was different several years ago, where I couldn’t be as vocal and had to wear nude pantyhose all the time.
“Let’s be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn’t seen pantyhose since movies in the 80s when they came in the little egg. That felt a little bit inauthentic.
“But that’s a silly example, but it is an example of when you’re able to dress the way you want to dress, and you’re able to say the things that are true, and you’re able to show up in the space really organically and authentically.”
She added: “And that’s, of course, had different chapters in my life (sic). But right now, no I don’t feel that I need to prove anything.”
Meghan was seen wearing nude tights in her first post-wedding appearance at a Buckingham Palace garden party in 2018, with fashion commentators suggesting they were too pale for her natural skin colour.
Much was made of the sartorial choice, amid claims protocol means royal women have to wear tights on engagements but it is more likely a personal choice rather than a requirement.
Queen Elizabeth II however usually wore nude tights, with many royal women following her lead.
There were also claims the famous row between the now-Princess of Wales and Meghan over Princess Charlotte’s flowergirl dress was because Kate wanted Charlotte to wear tights in keeping with wedding protocol and Meghan did not.
It was initially said Meghan had made Kate cry, until the duchess revealed to Oprah Winfrey it was actually the other way around.
Harry in his memoir Spare wrote that the problem arose because Kate claimed Charlotte’s dress was too long and baggy and needed to be remade.
The duchess also revealed she is relearning French on the Duolingo app late at night, and has not read a book, other than children’s books or parenting books, in a long time.
Meghan also talked about having a “really supported sweet life” in Montecito in a “such beautiful embracing community”, adding: “I’ve been able to really create and dream here.”
She also discussed her Sussex name, which in the first season of With Love, Meghan, she reminds Mindy Kaling is her name now, rather than Markle.
Chang asked what she has learned about herself since becoming “a Sussex”, with Meghan replying: “What I learned about myself is no matter what my name is, or what people call me, I’m still the same person.”
Quizzed on royal name rules, Meghan explained: “When I got married, I changed my name, but it’s a complicated one for people to understand, because a last name is not typical in that construct…It’s not (a last name) but it’s used roughly or loosely rather…. It’s a dukedom.”
She added: “My legal name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, but Sussex for us works as our family name, and it’s a name that we share with our children.”
The title Meghan, Duchess of Sussex would usually only be used if Meghan was divorced, such as Diana, Princess of Wales, or Sarah, Duchess of York.
Asked if she was rebranding herself by returning to social media, Meghan, appearing a little taken aback, replied: “No, I think – how funny – no, I think I finally get to share the me that’s been here for so long that people haven’t had the same visibility to.”
And quizzed about “mixed reviews” of her critically savaged first season of With Love, Meghan insisted the demographic and her partners “loved the show”.
“I think oftentimes the negative voices, are they saying negative things and then secretly going home and making single skillet spaghetti? Possibly.”
She also claimed that she had not heard accusations she was “glorifying trad wives”.
“I have absolutely no judgment on trad wives. If that works for them they should do it. But for me, I think there is an inbetween and joy for me comes in finding that sweet spot in the middle,” Meghan said.
Discussing her As Ever brand, the duchess said after her second drop of products sold out, her team moved from talking about a few thousands jars and lids to “we need to do a purchase order of a million”.
Meghan also discussed her relationship with Netflix, which is a partner in her As Ever business, and with whom she and Harry recently signed a new multi-year, first-look deal, in contrast to their reported lucrative 100 million-dollar (£74 million) contract five years ago.
The duchess said: “And then with the evolution of our partnership now, is them doubling down in their support of As Ever.”
