Meghan Markle says ‘difficult’ is a ‘codeword for b**ch’ in new Archetypes podcast
Meghan Markle today claimed that ‘strong-minded women’ are branded ‘difficult’ because it is codeword for ‘b**ch’ – and admitted that while ‘not everyone is going to like you – the goal can be for them to respect you’.
The Duchess of Sussex says that the ‘B-word’ is being used to ‘gaslight’ women who know what they want in her latest Archetypes podcast for Spotify.
Meghan also describes disliking the word ‘pushy’ and admits moderating her behaviour to avoid being perceived that way.
Describing what people mean when they say ‘b**ch’, Meghan says: ‘What these people are implying when they use that very charged word, is that this woman: “Oh, she’s difficult”. Which is really just a euphemism or is probably not even a euphemism. It’s really a codeword for the B-word’.
And speaking about the word ‘difficult’ as a way to describe women, she added: ‘My friend said to me, there’s a certain point when you come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to like you, the goal can’t be for everyone to like you, but the goal can be for them to respect you’.
This week Meghan speaks to business leaders and entrepreneurs including Mellody Hobson, the chairwoman of Starbucks who was the first black woman to be chairperson of a S&P 500 company. She is married to Star Wars creator George Lucas.
The episode: ‘To ‘B’ or not to ‘B’ also stars Victoria Jackson, the make up mogul and friend of Meghan. Ms Jackson is part of the Sussexes’ ‘close-knit group of friends’ in Montecito.
Meghan says friends are ‘reclaiming’ and ’embracing’ the ‘B-word’ – but she herself refuses to say it on the podcast, calling it the ‘B-word’ throughout or spelling it out for listeners. She says she would never use it unless it is to refer to a female dog.
Meghan’s new episode: ‘To “B” or not to “B” – is about the use of the word ‘b**ch’ and how it and other words are used to put women down
Meghan speaks to business leaders and entrepreneurs including Mellody Hobson, the chairwoman of Starbucks and her close friend Victoria Jackson, the make up mogul
Meghan has discussed a number of similar subjects with her guests on Archetypes, from being a Diva with Mariah Carey to the myth surrounding singletons with Mindy Kaling.
The Duchess of Sussex’s guest on her last Spotify podcast episode was Sophie Trudeau. The friends spoke about the challenges of parenting and being a partner to two famous men.
The pair described the ‘crushing guilt’ of being a mother in the public eye. Meghan, 41, revealed she threw a pool party this summer for Mrs Trudeau, in which the two ‘giggled like schoolgirls’ and drank wine on the terrace of her Montecito mansion.
On episode eight of her Archetypes show, called Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom, Meghan also chatted to comedian Pamela Adlon, best known as the voice of Bobby Hill in animated comedy series King of the Hill, who became a British citizen in 2020.
Meghan also revealed that she prepared for the Life in the UK test. Although she is LA born and based, Ms Markle is not believed to be a British citizen, having reportedly abandoned the idea after Megxit in 2020.
Experts said she did not live in the UK for the three years required to get spousal citizenship after marrying Harry, 38, in 2018. She arrived in Britain in November 2017 and left by December 2019.
The Duchess of Sussex said: ‘That citizenship exam is so hard. I was studying for it [the test] and I remember going, ‘Oh my goodness’. I would ask my husband, ‘Did you know this? Did you know this?’ And he would say, ‘I had no idea’.’
She did not expand on whether she ever took the test – or just studied for it. But Ms Adlon joked: ‘I think they made it harder for you. They were like, ‘We’re gonna really throw up walls on this one’.’
Meghan Markle’s star guest on her new Spotify podcast is First Lady of Canada, Sophie Trudeau. Both are pictured together in a photo booth at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) at Soho House in Toronto in 2016
Meghan has revealed she studied for the UK citizenship test – and Harry struggled with some of the answers – but it has long been reported that she did not end up taking British citizenship
Meghan would have needed to pass the Life in the UK Test, which costs £50 per try and has a 75 per cent pass mark, before applying for citizenship.
The 45-minute test features 24 multiple choice questions about UK laws and the legal system, working in the country, its history, culture and other details of British life. It can be rebooked an unlimited number of times, but applicants must pay each time.
It can also contain questions about the Royal Family – which she remains a member of – such as which King was executed in 1649 and who established the Church of England.
When her engagement to Harry was confirmed in 2017, Buckingham Palace announced the former Suits star would become a British citizen.
But the Sussexes quit the working monarchy in 2020 and moved to the US via Canada, amid reports Meghan had abandoned the process.
