Crowning Glory

Meghan Markle, the new Duchess of Sussex, has taken to her role with ease and style. Ahead of her New Zealand tour, we look at her first months in the spotlight and what to expect from the royal feminist

- Hannah Furness

 

If the young Duchess of Cambridge once faced the cruel jibe of ‘waity Katie’, appearing to fill her days before her eventual betrothal with a job as a part-time accessory buyer, Meghan Markle could be accused of nothing of the sort – she has worked nearly every day of her adult life: as a calligrapher, waitress, soup-kitchen server, blogger and actress.

Three days after her wedding to Prince Harry, she made her debut as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at a Buckingham Palace garden party, celebrating her father-in-law’s 70th birthday. After a secret honeymoon – the destination has not yet been made public – the newlyweds returned for Trooping the Colour 17 days later. Just a handful of engagements have been undertaken since then, including a trip to Dublin and a visit to an exhibition about Nelson Mandela’s life, with aides keen to calm the feverish interest in Meghan by spacing out her public appearances.

THE DUCHESS AT WORK

The duchess’ work in public has, in other words, been relatively quiet so far. While critics waited for her to put a foot wrong, she has opted for caution and getting to know her newly adopted country. “Before starting big projects it’s about taking time to listen and learn and get out and see people,” an insider says. “It’s clear that she’s going to take her time and get things right.”