Meghan Markle Addresses The Royal Rule That Felt 'Inauthentic' To Her: ‘I Hadn’t Seen…’
Meghan Markle has never minced words about the hardships she had to endure during her time in the royal fold. The Duchess of Sussex has also spoken about embracing freedom and living authentically after stepping down as a senior royal in 2020. Reflecting on this journey, she candidly opened up about a royal rule that she felt was 'inauthentic'. On August 26, in an episode of The Circuit with Emily Chang, Markle revealed that she disliked being forced to wear pantyhose, a tradition she found at odds with her true self.
The Bloomberg Originals series episode was released on the same date as Markle's Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan. As reported by PEOPLE, Chang asked Markle, "Is there an inherent tension in trying to be relatable while also being a Duchess?" Markle replied, "No, I don't find — I'm just being myself. So I think, probably, it was different several years ago where I couldn't be as vocal," subtly referring to the status quo in the royal fold before she and Prince Harry exited the royal family and moved to California. She added, "I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time," prompting Chang to laugh.
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Markle explained how her disdain for wearing pantyhose contradicted her true identity. She shared, "Let's be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn't seen pantyhose since the '80s, when they came in the little egg? That felt a little bit inauthentic, but that's a silly example." She continued, "But it is an example of when you're able to dress the way you wanna 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, that's being comfortable in your own skin. And that's, of course, had different chapters in my life." She emphasized that she is now in a place where she no longer feels the need to prove anything to anyone.
Markle has previously also spoken about dressing a certain way to 'blend in' with the royal family in her 2020 Netflix show, Harry & Meghan. She recalled, "Most of the time that I was in the U.K., I rarely wore color...you could never wear the same color as Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth] if there's a group event, but then you also shouldn't be wearing the same color as one of the other more senior members of the family," possible referring to Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla. She continued, "So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was also so I could just blend in."
As per Business Insider, veteran fashion journalist Elizabeth Holmes claimed that there is no written rule about royal women having to wear pantyhose. She explained that doing so is considered a sign of respect for the late Queen, how she dresses, and the tone that she sets. Moreover, the late Queen Elizabeth reportedly did not appreciate other members of the royal family color-coordinating their outfits with hers, as she was expected to stand out as the monarch.