ROYALSMeghan Markle Was 'Stifled' By Sexist Royal Rules — But Not Anymore!
The Duchess of Sussex revealed she felt "stifled" by the "sexist traditions" within the royal family. Meghan Markle — who frequently speaks about women empowerment — was not happy about the "old-fashioned rules and regulations — like wearing dresses below the knee," a source told The News.
Meghan also opposed a "PDA ban" — which most likely referred to the couple holding hands in public — within the royal family, according to a source. While royal etiquette analyst Myka Meier said there is no specific protocol that bans affection, she noted the actress and Prince Harry's romantic gestures were "atypical." However, the analyst added the couple's gestures made them more "relatable and lovable to the public." The small displays were "simply a matter of preference" for Harry and Meghan.
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Another source noted the Duke and Suits alum will be raising son Archie "in their footsteps," which means Archie won't be following "royal protocol, especially the sexist traditions."
The 39-year-old recently joined the Girl Up leadership summit to speak to young girls all around the world. She urged the young women to "keep challenging" and "pushing" themselves towards more representation.
"Women have always historically gotten a lot of 'that's not how it's done,' 'yeah, that's a good idea but we're going to do this instead,'" Meghan said while speaking to the girls. "But when do we hear that as women? We hear that in the moments that we challenge the norms."
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She continued to encourage the group to make society "a little uncomfortable because it's only in that discomfort that we actually create the conditions to reimagine our standards, our policies, and our leadership — to move toward real representation and meaningful influence over the structures of decision-making and power." Meghan explained women "have to work for it every day," even when "it's hard" and "makes others feel uneasy, we have to speak up for ourselves and we have to speak out for others who struggle to be heard."
The conversation of sexism within the monarchy isn't new. Parliament passed the Succession to the Crown Act in 2013. The new law stated female royals will no longer be pushed out of their place in line to the throne by younger boy siblings. Meghan is not the only one to challenge tradition. At the age of 19, Queen Elizabeth II was the first female to join the British military and serve full-time during World War II.
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Amid Meghan's stance for women's rights, she has been encouraging women to vote in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. However, she won't reveal who she's voting for.
The royal turned Hollywood couple now lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. After Harry, 36, and Meghan stepped away from their senior royal duties earlier this year, they found their forever home in the celeb-filled Montecito community. The duo has been very busy working on their new production company — after signing a $150 million Netflix deal — which will help encourage younger generations to make a positive change via social media platforms.
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The power couple also recently hosted a Time100 Talks — while residing in their new $14.65 million mansion. They invited speakers to discuss the Internet's effects on critical issues of racial justice, gender equity, climate change and mental health. Harry and Meghan also discussed solutions to making online platforms a safer space.
The talk was held on Tuesday, October 20 — the same day they launched their philanthropic Archewell site (without a trademark).
