There are some people in the public eye who you just can’t help but feel for, and Meghan Markle (Meghan, Duchess of Sussex) is definitely one of them. Watching her journey from an actress to a member of the British royal family has been like watching someone walk a tightrope in front of a crowd that is half cheering and half waiting for her to fall. The level of scrutiny she has faced is unbelievable, and it’s hard not to feel sorry for her. Yet, despite it all, Meghan has shown a strength that is impossible not to admire. She knows how to not let the negativity truly reach her. Or at least, she knows how not to show that it does.
The life of a royal, especially for women like Meghan and Kate Middleton (Catherine, Princess of Wales), is something truly unique. From what they wear to how they smile, everything is analyzed, discussed, praised, or criticized. It’s not just the big things like charity work or official statements; it’s every little thing—how they hold their bags, how they wave, how they look at their husbands, whether they have a wrinkle in their dress. Imagine living a life where every blink is a headline. Yet somehow, they both carry it with a kind of grace that most of us would probably not be able to summon under such pressure.
Kate Middleton, in particular, has handled this life with incredible skill. She’s favored by the public in a way that seems almost effortless. But nothing about life in the royal family is effortless. What we see from Kate—the polished looks, the warm smiles, the poised walk—is the result of years of practice and discipline. She knows the importance of every public appearance. She knows the weight of every photo that gets taken. While we see her as kind, composed, and graceful, the truth is, we don’t really know her real personality. What we see is the version of herself that she must present to the world, because that is the expectation when you marry into the most famous family in the world.
On the other hand, Meghan is different. She has been more honest, more vulnerable, more willing to speak about the difficulties she faced. She hasn’t tried to fit perfectly into a mold that wasn’t made for her. She hasn’t tried to pretend everything is fine when it isn’t. And that’s exactly why I find myself supporting her more. I always root for the underdog, the one who doesn’t just quietly accept whatever is handed to them. I respect the courage it takes to stand up, to speak out, to not be just another figure who follows all the unspoken rules without question.
It’s easy to criticize Meghan for not “playing the game” the way others might have. But playing the game would have meant silencing herself, erasing parts of who she is, and accepting unfair treatment. That’s not strength—that’s survival at the cost of your soul. I think it takes much more courage to step away, to protect your own mental health, and to create a new path when the old one tries to break you down.
I first discovered Meghan when she was on Suits. She had this presence on screen that was hard to miss—confident, smart, with a kind of quiet elegance. I didn’t finish watching the show, but when I heard the news about her relationship with Prince Harry, I genuinely felt happy for her. It’s not every day that a story like that unfolds in real life. A modern-day fairy tale, but as we have all seen, fairy tales aren’t always as perfect as they seem once the story continues beyond the first dance at the ball.
The criticism Meghan receives is often unfair, sometimes downright cruel. It’s the kind of criticism that feels personal, like people are criticizing her existence rather than her actions. And a lot of the time, it feels like there’s a machine behind it—a coordinated effort to bring her down, to make her seem lesser, to punish her for daring to not be exactly what they expected her to be. It makes me wonder how many of those critical voices are genuinely upset about something she did, and how many are simply echoing what they’ve been fed. Some of the criticisms sound so hollow, so rehearsed, that it’s hard not to think there’s money and power behind them. After all, the “firm,” as the royal institution is sometimes called, has a lot of experience in controlling narratives.
There is an idea in the royal family that you must “never complain, never explain.” It’s a philosophy that has protected them for generations. But it also means that problems fester in the dark, and people suffer in silence. Meghan broke that silence. She talked about her struggles. She talked about feeling unsupported, feeling attacked, feeling isolated. And for that, she was branded as difficult, ungrateful, dramatic. But if you listen carefully, she wasn’t asking for special treatment. She was asking for fairness, for kindness, for basic humanity.
Supporting Meghan isn’t about thinking she’s perfect. No one is perfect. It’s about understanding that public figures are still human beings. They bleed, they cry, they hurt. And when the world decides to project every insecurity, fear, and prejudice onto one woman, it says more about the world than it does about her.
I hope that people will someday stop criticizing Meghan for every move she makes. I hope they can recognize that standing up for yourself doesn’t make you a villain. I hope they can see that wanting to live your life with authenticity isn’t a betrayal, it’s an act of bravery. As long as she isn’t hurting anyone—and from everything I’ve seen, she isn’t—there’s no reason not to wish her well.
Meghan isn’t just surviving; she’s thriving in her own way. She’s building a life where she doesn’t have to fit into someone else’s idea of who she should be. She’s raising her children with the freedom to know love without strings attached to tradition and expectation. And she’s continuing to use her voice, even when it would be easier to stay silent.
There’s a lot to admire in Kate too, without question. She has found a way to navigate the pressure, to live within the system and still maintain her sense of dignity and kindness. That kind of quiet strength is impressive in its own way. But for me, there’s something about Meghan’s journey that feels more relatable, more inspiring. Maybe because it’s messier, more real, and closer to what many of us go through when we decide to choose ourselves over what others expect of us.
At the end of the day, supporting Meghan doesn’t mean disliking others. It simply means recognizing that different people have different strengths. Meghan’s strength is in her honesty, her refusal to be broken down. In a world that often rewards conformity, it’s brave to remain true to yourself.
When I look at the way Meghan carries herself today, even after everything, I see someone who refuses to be defined by other people’s negativity. She still shows up. She still smiles. She still speaks. And that is something truly powerful. No matter what critics say, none of it changes how I see her.
We don’t need more perfect princesses who pretend that life behind palace walls is a dream come true. We need more women like Meghan who are willing to say, “This is hard. This is unfair. And I’m not going to pretend otherwise.” It is in that honesty, that vulnerability, that true courage is found.
And maybe, just maybe, if we listened a little more and judged a little less, we would realize that there’s room for all kinds of strength in the world—both the polished, practiced grace of someone like Kate, and the fierce, raw honesty of someone like Meghan. Both have their place. Both have their value. And both deserve a little more kindness from all of us.
