A royal recollection. Meghan Markle recalled a “humbling” moment from her childhood in her first “Archetypes” podcast episode since Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41 — whose podcast aims to “explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” according to its official description — hosted Asian stars Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling on the Tuesday, October 4, episode, in which they discussed specific stereotypes of Asian women.
Meghan opened the conversation with an anecdote about going to a Korean spa with her mom, Doria Ragland, when she was a child.
“Now, for those of you who haven’t been to one before, it’s a very humbling experience for a girl going through puberty because you enter a room with women from ages 9 to maybe 90, all walking around naked and waiting to get a body scrub on one of these tables that are all lined up in a row,” the Suits alum recalled, remembering, “All I wanted was a bathing suit. Which you’re not allowed by the way.”
While the Bench author revealed that it was a tough situation for her to handle as a kid, when she allowed herself to open up to the experience, she and her mother created lasting memories together.
“Once I was over that adolescent embarrassment, my mom and I, we would go upstairs, we would sit in a room and we would have a steaming bowl of the most delicious noodles,” Meghan shared.
Tuesday’s “Archetypes” episode is the first since the death of the Archewell cofounder’s grandmother-in-law, the queen, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96.
Meghan and Prince Harry — who are parents of 3-year-old son Archie and 15-month-old daughter Lilibet — spent two weeks in the U.K. following Her Majesty’s passing, attending multiple public events in the late monarch’s honor and reconnecting with Harry’s estranged family.
In addition to mourning together at the queen’s state funeral on September 19, Meghan and Harry, 38, also joined Prince William and Princess Kate to greet the public who came to pay their respects to the late sovereign outside of Windsor Castle. King Charles III, who assumed the throne upon the death of his mother, also extended an “olive branch” to the Sussexes during his inaugural speech as monarch.
“I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas,” the king, 73, stated in his first address to the U.K. as the new sovereign.
Harry and Meghan — who is also estranged from her father, Thomas Markle — have been at odds with the royal family since stepping down from their duties as senior royals in 2020. The rift only grew wider as the couple moved to California with son Archie and later slammed The Firm in a tell-all CBS interview in March 2021.
As for the possibility of mending fences in the wake of the queen’s death, royal expert Myko Clelland exclusively told Us Weekly last month, “I think now is the time grief brings families together, and we’ve seen this coming together. So, if it’s going to happen, I think now is the best possible chance.”