Meghan Markle's Past Advice for 'Being Endlessly Happier': 'Stay Out of the Drama'
Before she was a royal, Meghan Markle explored the world of office politics through her role as paralegal Rachel Zane on the USA hits Suits.
“In life, in the office, in any of that, stay out of the drama,” she told InStyle in a 2015 interview. “You’ll be endlessly happier for it. If you want to do that, save that for drinks after work with your girlfriends. But I would say don’t get involved in the inner-office politics.”
Three years before she would marry into the royal family, the then-future Duchess of Sussex also spoke about juggling her acting career, work on her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, and her personal life.
“Find balance within your life,” she advised. “That is one of the most important things. So that means that your lunch break, you leave and go and get some fresh air. You don’t make your life your job. All of those things are so important—that you have a really full, flourishing life. I have to find that balance for myself as well between The Tig, my time on set or my time at home, I have to make the time to throw in a yoga class or walk my dogs or literally just turn it all off and meditate for a minute. I think you have to make time for yourself so that work doesn’t become the end-all be-all.”
In the wide-ranging InStyle interview, parts of which were never published, Meghan — who recently announced the new patronages she’ll be supporting in her royal work, many of which are focused on women’s and girls’ empowerment — addressed what it means to be a “girl boss.”
“As I’ve gotten older, too, I think you become more comfortable in your skin and comfortable both in saying ‘no’ to things, which is a huge girl boss moment I think for any of us,” she said. “And Rachel is an example of that on television. I think me personally in growing The Tig as a brand and taking on projects—saying ‘no’ is just as valuable as saying ‘yes.’
“And then also being able to delegate things,” she continued. “I often joke on set—it takes a village to raise an actress. But I think with anything you can’t do it by yourself. So building a strong team around you and being able to really communicate well with them is part of what’s going to have that level of success for you. So I feel really grateful that all of those things are coming to fruition, but I think above all of it is something that comes with age, of really having a sense of your self-worth and then you make choices based on that.”
Working on Suits also helped Meghan transform her laid-back, self-described “California girl” vibe into a more sophisticated style. She explained that while her go-to feel good outfit used to be distressed jeans, kitten heels and a blouse, that had changed.
“Now the outfit I put on and I feel so good in are these black, cropped Alexander Wang pants that are so comfortable you can wear them on the plane, which I do. And then you transition out of the little ballerina flats into a nice, killer stiletto, pointy-toes pump and I will normally put that on with just a chambray shirt and I feel like a million dollars,” she shared, continuing that the versatility of the outfit was an added bonus. “I could go to any event you can think of — throw on a bigger earring if it’s fancier or dress it down.”
Meghan added, “But I think the key to feeling powerful in how you dress is feeling really comfortable.”
The star recommended to have a “power piece” ready to go to instantly boost your mood.
“If that is the one dress that makes you feel so badass, or the one crisp button-down — whatever it is so that when you wake up on those days where you’re not really feeling going into work, you put that piece on and it’s almost like your own anthem,” she said. “I think having something like that as a staple in your wardrobe can really shift the energy in your day too.”
Meghan also shared her top tip for making sure any piece reaches its maximum potential: tailoring.
“No matter what you get, if it’s budget or high-end, if you have it tailored for your body you’re going to look 10 times better,” she explained.
Meghan’s personal style has even transformed since officially becoming a member of the royal family. When she and Prince Harry walked hand-in-hand into the wheelchair tennis event at the Paralympic-style games in Toronto in Sept. 2017, Meghan was rocking MOTHER jeans with slit at the knee. Since then, Meghan has since stepped up her denim game big time. To watch Harry’s charity polo match this summer, she showed off her Cali style in a midi-length denim dress by Carolina Herrera.
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Meghan has also embraced longer hemlines and pantyhose while keeping her own stamp on her look. The royal mom-to-be is often seen wearing her hair in a low-maintenance bun and embracing boatnecks, making both part of her signature style.
• With Reporting by SAMANTHA SIMON
