Susie O’Brien: Why Meghan Markle’s claims don’t stack up

The Duchess of Sussex seems hellbent on “speaking her truth”, but there may to be more to her claims than meets the eye.

Claims Meghan Markle made in her Oprah interview may not stack up.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, doesn’t do interviews, she “speaks her truth”.

Often, it’s no one else’s truth, but that’s never stopped her. As the Queen so cannily put it, “recollections may vary”.

Meghan says she wasn’t silent but choice, but was silenced by the palace. And yet she’s done a lot of interviews since she married Prince Harry, sprouting her “impactful” version of billionaire victimhood in order to inspire others to become as “aware” as she is.

Here I put some of Meghan’s statements from the recent interview and preceding years to the truth test.

Meghan said: “When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving licence, my keys.”

She should have said: “Despite this, since meeting Harry I’ve been on 13 international jaunts, including my New York baby shower, Lake Como with George Clooney and trips to Canada and Amsterdam.”

Meghan said: “We just need to be kinder to ourselves. If we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, can you imagine how much better off we would be?”

She should have said: “Well, I am no longer talking to my best friend (Jessica Mulroney) but I was kind to her once.”

Meghan said: “I think you have to make time for yourself so that work doesn’t become the end-all be-all.”

She should have said: “In fact, Harry and I not all that keen on work at all — we’d prefer to promote our own commercial ventures while fashioning ourselves as the spiritual guides of the universe.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Picture: CBS

Meghan said: “I think the biggest part of being a girl boss in the office, at home or anywhere you go is just knowing your value.”

She should have said: “These days, I know my value — $50m from Spotify and $180m from Netflix.”

Meghan said: “If there was a wrong, if there is a lack of justice, and there is an inequality, then someone needs to say something. And why not me?”

She should have said: “And why not a syndicated Oprah interview with an international TV audience of 11 million people?”

Meghan said: “I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship”.

She should have said: “But I am happy to be still known as the Duchess of Sussex after my I left the royal family to raise my family and bully people on a new continent.”

Meghan said: “That five pounds lost won’t make you happier, that more makeup won’t make you prettier …”

She should have said: “But the 50 million pounds from my husband’s late mother and great grandmother will help a lot”.

Meghan said: “It’s really important that young women be reminded that their involvement matters and that their voice is heard.”

She should have said: “I try and make sure my voice is heard, such as when I did that interview in famine-ridden Africa talking about how it was to be me”.

Meghan said: “With fame comes opportunity, but it also includes responsibility — to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings.”

She should have said: “By opportunity, I mean the chance to have a $70m fairytale wedding and marry a Prince.”

Meghan Markle claims she has been silenced by the Royal Family. Picture: Michele Spatari/AFP.

Meghan said: “I’ve also learned that saying no is just as valuable as saying yes.”

She should have said: “I am saying no to the boring bits of being a royal and yes to keeping the title and living in sunny California surrounded by my rich and powerful friends.”

Meghan said: “There’s a lot that’s been lost already.”

She should have said: “I’ve lost my lady in waiting, my free designer wardrobe, access to palaces and castles and front row seats at Wimbledon. And has anyone seen my $1250 Dior ‘We Should all be Feminists’ T-shirt?”

Meghan said: “Everyone in my world was given a very clear directive from the moment the world knew Harry and I were dating to always say: ‘No comment’”.

She should have said: “Of course, my friends still managed to brief those Finding Freedom authors who managed to put across our side of the story so well.”

Meghan described the interview with Oprah as the “loudest way to get my voice back”. I’d say she never lost it.

Meghan said: “Take things with a grain of salt.”

She should have said: “Especially on Oprah.”

Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist. Her book, The Secret of Half-arsed Parenting, is out now

@susieob