Meghan Markle’s ‘Girl Up’ Speech Confirms My Unfortunate Suspicion
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, delivered a speech that's in line with her usual unremarkable body of work. | Source: Girl Up/The Duchess of Sussex/Reuters
- Meghan Markle’s speech for the Girl Up Summit has been the subject of much discussion on social media.
- Unfortunately for Meghan, the time for hype is coming to an end. She has to deliver now.
- We’re going to see that much like her acting career, anything else she does will be painfully average.
In the days leading up to Meghan Markle making her Girl Up Leadership Summit speech, social media was ablaze with anticipation.
Even the media, which bizarrely referred to this as Meghan’s first “public appearance” as if she was still a working royal, seemed to be waiting with bated breath.
Would the Duchess of Difficult send a firm message to the royal family? Was Prince Charles, Prince William, and Queen Elizabeth all on a Zoom call waiting to discuss damage limitation as Meghan took to her new platform?
Not quite.
Meghan Markle had a lot to say, but really said nothing
Hands up, who was surprised?
Not me. It’s been clear for months now that despite the Sussex Squad’s attempts to build her up as some feminist superhero, Meghan is really quite unremarkable.
And before you all hit send on that hate-filled email, I don’t mean that as a slight on the girl. Not at all.
It’s just that charisma and the ability to captivate the audience isn’t something you can buy. A new hairstyle, a change in wardrobe, or even marrying a prince doesn’t make you something you’re not.
Those Meghan Markle fans who are scratching their heads, wondering why their idol isn’t penciled in to co-star with Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie need to realize that Meghan isn’t on that level.
And just as she was an average actress, she’s also an average public speaker.
So, what did Meghan actually have to say?
Let’s have a look at what Meghan Markle had to say:
I want to share something with you. It’s that those in the halls and corridors and places of power, from lawmakers and world leaders to executives, all of those people, they depend on you more than you will ever depend on them. And here’s the thing: they know this.
She continued:
They know that all of you, at a younger age than any modern comparison, are setting the tone for an equitable humanity. Not figuratively, literally. This is a humanity that desperately needs you. To push it, to push us, forcefully in a more inclusive, more just, and more empathetic direction. To not only frame the debate but be in charge of the debate—on racial justice, gender, climate change, mental health, and wellbeing, on civic engagement, on public service, on so much more.
Now, I don’t know who she’s hired for a speechwriter, but whoever it is, they’re painfully average.
Don’t get me wrong. Her speech wasn’t terrible. But it wasn’t great, either. It was just a whole bunch of buzzwords such as “racial justice,” “equitable humanity,” and “mental health” all cobbled together to form a largely forgettable, “by-the-numbers” performance.
Much like her time on Suits, if I’m honest.
With the hype dissipating, Meghan Markle now has to deliver. And she can’t
It’s all been a bit of an anti-climax, hasn’t it?
Amid the story about Prince Harry walking away from his family, his supposed feud with his brother, and the role Meghan Markle played in all of this, it was easy to forget that the Duchess of Sussex is really nothing special as far as her public persona is concerned.
Now that the time for hype and gossip is almost at an end and Meghan has to actually deliver, we’re being reminded why she never cracked Hollywood.
All of the talk about earning millions of dollars in huge blockbuster movies, taking on established fashion and lifestyle brands, and even whispers of political runs towards the presidency has built the hype train into a full-on Japanese style bullet train for the ages.
Sadly, at some point, Meghan Markle had to deliver, and the truth is, she can’t. Not to the level expected anyway.
She’ll do okay, of course, just as she did okay in her acting career. But it doesn’t look like the royal family is missing out on much with her leaving.
Much ado about nothing, in all honesty. The Queen can relax for now and have a cup of tea.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
