MEGGING A RETURN
Meghan Markle says ‘I’m looking forward to using my voice again’ after being restricted by royal duties
MEGHAN Markle has said she "looks forward to using her voice again" in a way she "hasn't been able to of late".
The Duchess of Sussex suggested she would use her platform to speak out on issues surrounding race and gender in the future - having been restricted by royal duties until now.
⚠️ Read our Meghan and Harry blog for the latest news on the Royal couple.
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In July, Meghan and Harry moved into a luxury family home in the star-studded Santa Barbra after packing up and leaving the UK and the royal family for good.
In an interview with The 19th - which describes itself as a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy - Meghan told how the move initially felt "just devastating" after she saw the "state of affairs" in the US.
She said: "To come back and see the state of affairs at the onset if I'm honest it was just devastating.
"It was just so sad to see where [America] was in that moment. I look forward to ... using my voice in a way I haven't been able to of late."
The actress was referring to the weeks of turmoil and rising racial tensions following the killing of several black Americans, including George Floyd, by white police officers.
But she continued that following peaceful protests and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, it was "good to see people owning their role" and understanding the part they play "either actively or passively in the discrimination of other people, specifically the black community".
SPEAKING OUT
Speaking of how she might use her voice in the future, she said: "So I think, from my standpoint, it's not new to see this undercurrent of racism and certainly unconscious bias, but I think to see the changes that are being made right now is really something that I look forward to being a part of, and being a part of using my voice in a way I haven't been able to of late."
She also touched briefly on the "incredible importance" of the voting system, adding it is something she is "very passionate about".
"I think it's often challenging for men and women alike, for people to remember just how hard it was to get the right to vote. And be really aware of not taking that for granted," she said.
"I look at my husband, for example. He's never been able to vote. And I think it's such an interesting thing to say, the right to vote is not a privilege, it's a right in and of itself."
She added that women's "voices are needed now more than ever and the best way to exercise that is through voting."
"There is still so much work to do, we think about the Voting Rights Act, and how even at this point, I was having this conversation just yesterday, it feels like we make so many strides forward, and yet there is still so much more to do."
MEDIA ATTACK
During the same interview, the The Duchess hit out at "salacious" journalism, adding that reporting should be done through a "compassionate and empathetic lens" following her return to the States with Prince Harry and son Archie.
It comes after the Duchess phoned a fan to thank them for helping raise £45,000 for charities she supports — although the fan was found to be behind a Twitter account which has previously branded the Duchess of Cambridge a “b***h” and Prince William an “a**hole”.
She told via videochat: "What's so fascinating, at least from my standpoint and my personal experience in the past couple years, is the headline alone, the clickbait alone, makes an imprint," she said.
"There is so much toxicity out there in what is being referred to as, my husband and I talk about it often, this to the economy for attention. That is what is monetizable right now.
"So if you're just trying to grab someone's attention, you're going for something salacious versus what is truthful.
"And I think that once we can get back to the place where what you're creating is so important, where people are just telling the truth in their reporting, and telling it through a compassionate and empathetic lens, it's going to help bind people.
"It's going to build community in a way I think that at the moment we're feeling much more of a disconnect in a space where it could be one more of connection."
Meghan's remarks come days after the release of tell-all "unauthorised" biography Finding Freedom, which shares intimate details about Meghan and Harry's relationship.
The couple insist they were not interviewed for the book, despite an authors' note at the back appearing to acknowledge some involvement from the royals.
One of the authors brushed it off as a "few words at engagements" rather than a "full interview".
To come back and see the state of affairs at the onset if I'm honest it was just devastating.
Meghan Markle
The Sussexes are believed to have taken out a massive £7.25m mortgage on their lavish nine bedroom, 16 bathroom estate which is their new home in the States.
The couple are reportedly calling the swanky Californian pad their "sanctuary".
A source close to Meghan and Harry says: “They realised they needed a big home with a lot of space for Archie because they can rarely leave the house due to their fame, they are still quite nervous about going out and about.
“They have been worried about Archie as he's been inside so much during lockdown and not interacting with other children, but everyone has reassured them that they’re doing a great job.
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“Meghan wanted somewhere with a spectacular garden and the house has a giant pool and pond for them to enjoy. They say this new house is their 'sanctuary'.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
And Meg, a self-professed "California girl," is said to have been hankering to get back to her home town.
She previously said on her website: “I was born and raised in Los Angeles, a California girl who lives by the ethos that most things can be cured with either yoga, the beach, or a few avocados.”
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