Meghan Markle Told Not to ‘Give up’ Certain Part of Her Life Days Before Marrying Prince Harry

TL;DR: 

• Meghan Markle shared advice given to her “a few days” before her 2018 royal wedding to Prince Harry on the Nov. 15 episode of Archetypes. 
• She said a “very influential and inspiring woman” told her not to “give up” her work as an activist. 
• Previously, Meghan Markle (and Oprah) shared other advice she’s been given. 

Another episode of Archetypes and more personal anecdotes from Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex shared on her Spotify podcast what an “influential and inspiring woman” urged her not to “give up” mere days before marrying Prince Harry. Plus, other advice she received as she joined the royal family. 

A ‘very influential and inspiring woman’ told Meghan Markle not to ‘give up’ activism shortly before marrying Prince Harry

Meghan shared the advice she received before her 2018 royal wedding on the Nov. 15 episode of Archetypes. Titled, The Audacity of the Activist with Jameela Jamil & Shohreh Aghdashloo.

“As Shohreh shared her closing thoughts in Farsi, it reminded me of a message that was shared with me just a few days before my wedding by a very, very influential and inspiring woman who for her own privacy I won’t share who it was with you,” Meghan told listeners. 

“But she said to me, ‘I know that your life is changing. Please don’t give up your activism,'” she continued. “‘Don’t give up because it means so much to women and girls.'”

“And I kept doing the work for women and girls, because it matters, yes, but also because she encouraged me to do so,” Meghan added.

The Duchess of Sussex went on to call for equality voicing her support for protestors in Iran. “Our collective voice is our lifeline, women who are scared into silence remain silent,” she said. “But if they know they aren’t alone. If they know we are echoing their voice for the sight of right, then it’s no longer noise. Then what we’re making together is music.”

Meghan Markle was told to be ‘50% less’ after marrying Prince Harry, according to Oprah

After Harry and Meghan’s tell-all interview aired in March 2021, Oprah shared advice the former Suits star received in 2018 after joining the royal family. Oprah explained she’d approached Meghan about an interview, and in the process, the now-41-year-old divulged what she’d been told. 

“She said she had been told, been given advice … that it would be best if she could be ’50 percent less’ than she was. That was the quote,” Oprah told Gayle King on CBS This Morning (via CBS News). 

Oprah continued, recalling her own reaction. “I remember hearing that in 2018 and said specifically to her, ‘I don’t know how you’re going to survive being half of yourself.'”

A British friend warned Meghan Markle about tabloids

Before sitting down with Oprah, Meghan opened up in a 2019 documentary about the advice she received from a British friend. She told ITV’s Tom Bradby in Harry & Meghan: An African Journey they warned her against dating Harry. The reason, she said, was British tabloids. 

“When I first met my now husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friend said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great, but you shouldn’t do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life,’” she recalled.

Meghan continued, saying she had “no idea” about British tabloids and brushed off her friend’s advice. 

“I very naively … we’re American, we don’t have that there,” she explained. “‘What are you talking about? That doesn’t make any sense. I’m not in tabloids!’ I didn’t get it. So yeah, it’s been complicated.”