Meghan Markle On Prince Harry's Reaction To Comments That She Is "Lucky" To Have Him
"'Oh my God, you're so lucky! He chose you!'"
Photo: Wpa Pool / Getty Images
It's no secret Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had to endure plenty of criticism when she first started dating Prince Harry, and even more when she married him and became part of the British royal family. In a new episode of her Spotify podcast, Archetypes, with actress Mindy Kaling as a guest, Meghan shares one comment about her relationship that truly stung.
In the new episode titled "The Stigma of the Singleton," the two women address the sexism behind the commonly used words spinster and old maid, and speak of the pressure women—unlike men—face to marry, and marry early.
Related article: The 5 Biggest Revelations From Duchess Meghan’s First Episode Of ‘Archetypes’
They also talk about Kaling's 2015 memoir, Why Not Me?, in which the comedian writes about the desire to be cherished and how women are taught and expected to need a man to feel whole. Meghan, speaking of the early stages of her relationship with Prince Harry, says she had her "own experience" with that.
"When I started dating my husband, we became engaged, and everyone was just like, 'Oh my God, you're so lucky! He chose you!'" she shares.
Related article: Duchess Meghan Reveals A Scary Incident With Son Archie In Her Debut Spotify Podcast Episode
"And at a certain point, after you hear it a million times over, you're like, 'Well, I chose him too,'" she continues. "But thankfully, I have a partner who was countering that narrative for me and going, 'They've got it all wrong. I'm the lucky one, 'cause you chose me.'"
The two began dating in 2016, got engaged in November 2017, and wed in a dreamy ceremony at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2018. They now share two kids, son Archie Harrison, 3, and daughter Lilibet Diana, 1.
Related article: Duchess Meghan Just Gave Her First U.K. Speech Since Stepping Back From Royal Role
Though Meghan was raised as a proud feminist, she says the comments implying that she was not good enough to marry into the royal family and was "lucky" that a prince fell in love with her, still hurt.
"It is gendered and it's archetyped and it's stereotyped. … 'You're so lucky,'" she says. "And it just feeds into this idea that you're waiting for someone to tell you that you're good enough, as opposed to knowing that you're good enough on your own."
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.