OPINION: When Meghan Markle left the royal family with Prince Harry in 2020, critics insisted she was desperate to return to the Hollywood limelight despite her and Harry’s claims they wanted privacy.
WATCH: Meghan Markle launches her Archetypes project
Fans of the Duchess of Sussex insisted that wasn’t the case, but two years on it seems that her new interview with The Cut has proven detractors right.
The article centres on her new podcast, Archetypes, and begins with her revealing a thrilling “secret” to the journalist; that she’s about to rejoin Instagram.
It delves into her home life with husband Prince Harry and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, but reads more like a celebrity profile piece than an exclusive royal feature.
In fact, everything from the podcast self-promotion to the glamorous accompanying photoshop screams “celebrity” in what well could be the start of Meghan’s post-royal rebrand.
She and Harry have toed the royal line since their exit and kept public outings and press minimal, but now it seems the duchess is ready to return to the spotlight in a big way.
Just months after making her UK return for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Meghan has finally launched her much anticipated podcast, spoken more openly about her kids and may soon be back on social media.
These major moves made in quick succession suggest she’s ready to take the reigns on her new life in the US – in fact, she said as much in her interview with The Cut.
“Meghan of Montecito” read the article’s headline, “Now she’s ready for her next act”.
The feature is nothing like the media Meghan was doing as a royal, and even when she gave her bombshell Oprah interview with Harry in 2021, Meghan was still portrayed more like a duchess than a Hollywood elite.
Now the Duchess is totally in control of her media image and she’s making it clear how she plans to brand herself in the years to come.
This Meghan plans to return to Instagram, shares “secrets” with sites like The Cut and complains about struggling to afford the multi-million dollar mansion where she poses for photos in designer labels.
WATCH: Meghan Markle discusses privacy with Oprah
She’s keenly aware of her image and the platform it affords her, telling the outlet: “It’s important to be thoughtful about it.
“Even with the Oprah interview, I was conscious of the fact that there are little girls that I meet and they’re just like, ‘Oh my God, it’s a real-life princess.’”
So what kind of princess (or should we say duchess, as is Meghan’s actual title) will she be? One who is ready to return to the spotlight, it seems.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
