“Meghan Markle says she ‘feels clearer’ since moving to Montecito and can finally ‘use’ her voice again. ‘When the media controls the narrative, it’s extremely liberating to be able to tell your own story,’ the Duchess of Sussex brazenly says.

Meghan Markle is raising her voice.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, covers the fall fashion issue of The Cut, where she spoke about how relocating from the U.K. to California in 2020 has benefitted her family with Prince Harry and the life they’re creating today.

 

Sitting down with the offshoot of New York Magazine to discuss Archetypes, her new podcast that premiered on Spotify last week, Meghan said that she’s excited to reconnect with the public on the streaming medium — in her own voice.

“It’s so real,” she told The Cut in a conversation published Monday. “I feel different. I feel clearer. It’s like I’m finding — not finding my voice. I’ve had my voice for a long time, but being able to use it.”

According to the outlet, upcoming guests include Constance Wu, Issa Rae, Lisa Ling, Margaret Cho and Ziwe, where they’ll unpack the labels that restrain women today, including “old maid,” “dragon lady,” “angry black woman” and more. Archetypes arrives two years after Meghan and Harry announced a “multi-year partnership” between Spotify and their production company Archewell Audio in 2020.

Campbell Addy for The Cut

In another major media venture since leaving royal life, fans can look forward to content to come from Meghan and Prince Harry’s reported $100 million deal with Netflix, though The Bench author didn’t disclose exactly what’s in the works.

“The piece of my life I haven’t been able to share, that people haven’t been able to see, is our love story,” she alluded, quoting the close of her speech at her 2019 wedding, where she said she found faith in the “resounding knowing that, above all, love wins.”

“I hope that is the sentiment that people feel when they see any of the content or the projects that we are working on,” Meghan said.

Reflecting on the freedom she and Prince Harry, 37, have today both professionally and personally, as they raise son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 1, she added, “When the media has shaped the story around you, it’s really nice to be able to tell your own story.”

Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in The Netherlands on April 16. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

In the interview, Meghan also said she wouldn’t have been able to pick her son up from school if they still lived in England without fanfare and photographers.

“Sorry, I have a problem with that. That doesn’t make me obsessed with privacy. That makes me a strong and good parent protecting my child,” the mother of two said.

 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Michael M. Santiago/Getty

The family’s move to California started with staying in Tyler Perry’s Los Angeles home before purchasing a $14.65 million property in Montecito. Meghan said that although their house kept “popping up in online searches,” they initially resisted checking it out.

“We didn’t have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house,” she explained. “It wasn’t possible. It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping — it’s like, I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford. That doesn’t feel good.”

Meghan and Harry eventually came for a tour and knew they wanted it before even seeing the inside.

“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” Meghan said. “See how they’re connected at the bottom? He goes, ‘My love, it’s us.’ And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, ‘Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa.’ “

“We did everything we could to get this house. Because you walk in and go…” Meghan said, taking a deep breath. “Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”

As she and Harry continue to share more about their decision to leave royal life, Meghan made the surprising revelation that they have not been filtered along the way.

“It’s interesting, I’ve never had to sign anything that restricts me from talking,” she said. “I can talk about my whole experience and make a choice not to.”

Pressed to why she hadn’t yet divulged more, the Duchess of Sussex said she was “still healing.”