“I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches; I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works. And this type of work is what feeds my soul.” Meghan Markle
Meghan’s work ethic impresses her most ardent supporters. They praise her for rolling up her sleeves and diving in whatever project is at hand. And from early on, her work wasn’t dependent on financial reward. Work included serving those in need, as a volunteer.
The focus and tenacity to be a go-getter should be commended, but too often a go-getter is seen by the insecure as a liability to their own agendas. The British Royals are a large herd of emotionally stunted, snobbish ingrates who have perfected the guise of “hard working royals.” The pomp and circumstance of parades, investitures, social gatherings, and orchestrated photo ops for over a century have trained the public to be adoring, loyal, and blinded into submission for such blatant mediocre work ethic.
The projects that Meghan spearheaded and participated in had goals that demanded hard work to get the job done. For example, the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire brought together a group of women who, with the help of Meghan, launched Our Community Cookbook. This fundraising project would not have been a success story if the team hadn’t worked hard to ensure their expectations came to fruition.
But even when her work ethic wasn’t appreciated, when necessary, Meghan did play along with royal protocol to be present for the various duties. She showed up, participated, and waved at the public with the rest of the royal bandwagon.
Make no mistake, she had passion for work before walking through the royal gates to meet Harry’s grandmother. She had focus on the need to work hard long before meeting Harry’s brother and sister-in-law. She had success because of her work ethic long before the collusion of courtiers and the toxic British press tried to paint a different picture.
Announcing that you want to work shouldn’t make anyone clutch their pearls. And yet, Meghan’s desire and push to work as a senior royal was deemed a breach of the social contract.
They should have celebrated her willingness and passion to be a productive citizen of the world. She will use her ever-growing public platform to address important issues, rather than waste it on being a clothes mannequin with nothing else of value to offer.
With her focus on charitable obligations, Meghan’s work is far from over. There are too many injustices to be righted, too many inequities to be eliminated, too many systemic wrongs to be fought. There-in lies the nourishment for her soul.