Meghan Markle Is Bringing In A Few Changes To The Royal Family

When she married Prince Harry last year, Meghan Markle became one of the newest members of the British royal family. But despite being only a recent addition to the royals, the Duchess of Sussex is akin to a breath of fresh air, which might hopefully help the tradition-steeped centuries-old family in keeping up with modern times.

Recently, this positive impact that Meghan has on the royal family is acknowledged by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. “She's really bringing modernity to the royal family in a way that is inspiring,” Wintour said during the Women in the World summit held in New York City on April 12.

Wintour says that Meghan epitomizes what a modern woman should be — someone who is strong, confident and yet fashionable. “I think the image that I have in my mind is the Duchess of Sussex walking down the aisle by herself, that to me was representative of a modern woman,” Wintour said.

Being born and raised in the U.S., Meghan found some royal rules hard to understand. In fact, she received criticism for wearing suits as the Queen reportedly “prefers women in dresses or skirts rather than trouser suits.”

But to Wintour, Meghan’s fashion style is one of the ways that the duchess is bringing modernity into the royal household. “I’ve been thinking a lot about suits recently, so thank you to the Duchess of Sussex!” the editor commented.

Meghan is an early riser, which even surprised some royals. “I read somewhere that there were members of the royal household that were confused and upset that she woke up so early, at 5am,” Wintour added. “She's a normal California girl, gets up early and does yoga and meditates.”

But the Duchess of Sussex’s modernizing touch won’t be limited to fashion alone. In fact, she wants to have her own voice so she can interact with the public in her own terms. Of course, her methods might be viewed as untraditional by those in the Establishment, especially when it comes to her advocacy.

“Some of the things Meghan wants to do, specifically when it comes to communication, will break from tradition,” an unnamed source told US Magazine. “She wants to have a direct voice to have more impact.”

At this point, however, it’s hard to gauge just how radically different Meghan’s approach to communication might be. Being too vocal while being a member of the politically neutral royal family might not be the right approach, and the duchess might have to find a middle ground somewhere.