Meghan Markle says ‘difficult’ is a ‘codeword for b**ch’ in new Archetypes podcast

Meghan Markle today claimed that ‘strong-minded women’ are branded ‘difficult’ because it is codeword for ‘b**ch’ – and admitted that while ‘not everyone is going to like you – the goal can be for them to respect you’.

The Duchess of Sussex says that the ‘B-word’ is being used to ‘gaslight’ women who know what they want in her latest Archetypes podcast for Spotify.

Meghan also describes disliking the word ‘pushy’ and admits moderating her behaviour to avoid being perceived that way.

Describing what people mean when they say ‘b**ch’, Meghan says: ‘What these people are implying when they use that very charged word, is that this woman: “Oh, she’s difficult”. Which is really just a euphemism or is probably not even a euphemism. It’s really a codeword for the B-word’.

And speaking about the word ‘difficult’ as a way to describe women, she added: ‘My friend said to me, there’s a certain point when you come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to like you, the goal can’t be for everyone to like you, but the goal can be for them to respect you’.

Meghan says friends are ‘reclaiming’ and ’embracing’ the ‘B-word’ – but she herself refuses to say it on the podcast, calling it the ‘B-word’ throughout or spelling it out for listeners. She says she would never use it unless it is to refer to a female dog. 

This week Meghan speaks to business leaders and entrepreneurs including Mellody Hobson, the chairwoman of Starbucks who was the first black woman to be chairperson of a S&P 500 company. She is married to Star Wars creator George Lucas.

The episode: ‘To ‘B’ or not to ‘B’ also stars Victoria Jackson, the make up mogul and friend of Meghan. Ms Jackson is part of the Sussexes’ ‘close-knit group of friends’ in Montecito. 

Meghan’s new episode: ‘To “B” or not to “B” – is about the use of the word ‘b**ch’ and how it and other words are used to put women down

Meghan speaks to business leaders and entrepreneurs including Mellody Hobson, the chairwoman of Starbucks and her close friend Victoria Jackson, the make up mogul

Meghan has discussed a number of similar subjects with her guests on Archetypes, from being a Diva with Mariah Carey to the myth surrounding singletons with Mindy Kaling. 

She also revealed her favourite TV programme growing up was the quiz show Jeopardy! on the latest episode of her Archetypes series. 

The Duchess of Sussex , 41, released the eighth episode of her podcast today, which was titled ‘To “B” or not to “B”‘ and featured Victoria Jackson, the make up mogul and Mellody Hobson, the chairwoman of Starbucks.

During the introduction to the show, the royal mother-of-two spoke of her love of television shows and movies, saying she spent ‘a lot of time in front of the TV growing up.’

She went on to reveal Jeopardy was her ‘favorite show growing up’, adding: ‘I would eat my dinner on a TV tray in front of the screen, watching each category with bated breath and intense focus trying to absorb whatever facts they were firing off in the form of a question.’

She added that host Alex Trebek was ‘a daily part of her life’, even claiming that when he died in November 2020, she ‘received messages of condolences.’

Meghan started the podcast by saying: ‘At this point in the series I think we’ve established that I spent a lot of time in front of the TV growing up.

‘I loved movies and shows. I had my favorite programs and, as we continue to unearth with Archetypes, many of them can be influenced by pop culture and by the media.

‘Growing up in the 80s and 90s – my Generation – we were raised with television in the same way that this generation is raised with social media. 

‘We didn’t have that then. There was no Instagram or Tik-Tok. You couldn’t even record shows.

‘Unless you had a blank VHS tape that you could race to queue up at the exact time.

‘So you’d hope not to miss your favorite show. For Gen Z listeners, you’re going to have to Google, or I guess, Tik-Tok what I’m even talking about.

‘But for those of you who remember these days, you’ll also remember the shows that you were always ready for. Now for me, this was Jeopardy.

She continued: ‘Jeopardy was my favorite show growing up and I would eat my dinner on a TV tray in front of the screen.’

Meghan said that Jeopardy host Alex Trebek was ‘a daily part of her life’, even claiming that when he died in November 2020, she ‘received messages of condolences’ (pictured) 

The Duchess of Sussex’s guest on her last Spotify podcast episode was Sophie Trudeau. The friends spoke about the challenges of parenting and being a partner to two famous men. 

The pair described the ‘crushing guilt’ of being a mother in the public eye. Meghan, 41, revealed she threw a pool party this summer for Mrs Trudeau, in which the two ‘giggled like schoolgirls’ and drank wine on the terrace of her Montecito mansion.

On episode eight of her Archetypes show, called Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom, Meghan also chatted to comedian Pamela Adlon, best known as the voice of Bobby Hill in animated comedy series King of the Hill, who became a British citizen in 2020. 

Meghan also revealed that she prepared for the Life in the UK test. Although she is LA born and based, Ms Markle is not believed to be a British citizen, having reportedly abandoned the idea after Megxit in 2020. 

Experts said she did not live in the UK for the three years required to get spousal citizenship after marrying Harry, 38, in 2018. She arrived in Britain in November 2017 and left by December 2019.

The Duchess of Sussex said: ‘That citizenship exam is so hard. I was studying for it [the test] and I remember going, ‘Oh my goodness’.  I would ask my husband, ‘Did you know this? Did you know this?’ And he would say, ‘I had no idea’.’ 

She did not expand on whether she ever took the test – or just studied for it. But Ms Adlon joked: ‘I think they made it harder for you. They were like, ‘We’re gonna really throw up walls on this one’.’

Meghan Markle’s star guest on her new Spotify podcast is First Lady of Canada, Sophie Trudeau. Both are pictured together in a photo booth at the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) at Soho House in Toronto in 2016

Meghan has revealed she studied for the UK citizenship test – and Harry struggled with some of the answers – but it has long been reported that she did not end up taking British citizenship

Meghan would have needed to pass the Life in the UK Test, which costs £50 per try and has a 75 per cent pass mark, before applying for citizenship. 

The 45-minute test features 24 multiple choice questions about UK laws and the legal system, working in the country, its history, culture and other details of British life. It can be rebooked an unlimited number of times, but applicants must pay each time.

It can also contain questions about the Royal Family – which she remains a member of – such as which King was executed in 1649 and who established the Church of England.

When her engagement to Harry was confirmed in 2017, Buckingham Palace announced the former Suits star would become a British citizen. 

But the Sussexes quit the working monarchy in 2020 and moved to the US via Canada, amid reports Meghan had abandoned the process.

Meghan Markle reveals her love of Jeopardy! as she confesses she ‘spent a lot of time in front of the TV growing up’ and would ‘eat her dinner on a tray in front of the screen’

Meghan Markle has revealed her favourite TV programme growing up was the quiz show Jeopardy! on the latest episode of her Archetypes series. 

The Duchess of Sussex , 41, released the eighth episode of her podcast today, which was titled ‘To “B” or not to “B”‘ and featured Victoria Jackson, the make up mogul and Mellody Hobson, the chairwoman of Starbucks.

During the introduction to the show, the royal mother-of-two spoke of her love of television shows and movies, saying she spent ‘a lot of time in front of the TV growing up.’

She went on to reveal Jeopardy was her ‘favorite show growing up’, adding: ‘I would eat my dinner on a TV tray in front of the screen, watching each category with bated breath and intense focus trying to absorb whatever facts they were firing off in the form of a question.’

She added that host Alex Trebek was ‘a daily part of her life’, even claiming that when he died in November 2020, she ‘received messages of condolences.’

Meghan Markle, 41,  has revealed her favourite TV programme growing up was the quiz show Jeopardy! on the latest episode of her Archetypes series

Meghan started the podcast by saying: ‘At this point in the series I think we’ve established that I spent a lot of time in front of the TV growing up.

‘I loved movies and shows. I had my favorite programs and, as we continue to unearth with Archetypes, many of them can be influenced by pop culture and by the media.

‘Growing up in the 80s and 90s – my Generation – we were raised with television in the same way that this generation is raised with social media. 

‘We didn’t have that then. There was no Instagram or Tik-Tok. You couldn’t even record shows.

‘Unless you had a blank VHS tape that you could race to queue up at the exact time.

‘So you’d hope not to miss your favorite show. For Gen Z listeners, you’re going to have to Google, or I guess, Tik-Tok what I’m even talking about.

‘But for those of you who remember these days, you’ll also remember the shows that you were always ready for. Now for me, this was Jeopardy.

She continued: ‘Jeopardy was my favorite show growing up and I would eat my dinner on a TV tray in front of the screen.’

Meghan went on to discuss the former host Alex Trebek, who died aged 80 in November 2020. 

Before his death, Trebek continued to host the 37th season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Trebek has hosted more than 8,200 episodes of Jeopardy!, which has won 39 Emmy awards, according to its website. 

She said: ‘My obsession with this show was so deep, you guys, when Alex Trebek passed away, I started to receive text of condolence.

‘I didn’t know him, but everyone who knew me? Knew how meaningful Jeopardy and its host, was as a daily part of my life.

‘This love of facts extended into my love of words and grammar, admiring people with expansive vocabularies.

‘I was and I still am a word nerd.’

Elsewhere, she claimed that ‘strong-minded women’ are branded ‘difficult’ because it is codeword for ‘b**ch’.

The Duchess of Sussex also argued that the ‘B-word’ is being used to ‘gaslight’ women who know what they want.

Meghan described disliking the word ‘pushy’ and admitted to moderating her behaviour to avoid being perceived that way.

Meghan said friends are ‘reclaiming’ and ’embracing’ the ‘B-word’ – but she herself refuses to say it on the podcast, calling it the ‘B-word’ throughout or spelling it out for listeners. Although she says she would never use it unless it is to refer to a female dog

Meghan has discussed a number of similar subjects with her guests on Archetypes, from being a Diva with Mariah Carey to the myth surrounding singletons with Mindy Kaling.

Last week, Meghan hosted First Lady of Canada Sophie Trudeau. The friends spoke about the challenges of parenting and being a partner to two famous men.

The pair described the ‘crushing guilt’ of being a mother in the public eye. Meghan, 41, revealed she threw a pool party this summer for Mrs Trudeau, in which the two ‘giggled like schoolgirls’ and drank wine on the terrace of her Montecito mansion.

On episode eight of her Archetypes show, called Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom, Meghan also chatted to comedian Pamela Adlon, best known as the voice of Bobby Hill in animated comedy series King of the Hill, who became a British citizen in 2020.

Meghan also revealed that she prepared for the Life in the UK test. Although she is LA born and based, Ms Markle is not believed to be a British citizen, having reportedly abandoned the idea after Megxit in 2020.

Experts said she did not live in the UK for the three years required to get spousal citizenship after marrying Harry, 38, in 2018. She arrived in Britain in November 2017 and left by December 2019.

The Duchess of Sussex said: ‘That citizenship exam is so hard. I was studying for it [the test] and I remember going, “Oh my goodness”. I would ask my husband, “Did you know this? Did you know this?” And he would say, “I had no idea”.’

She did not expand on whether she ever took the test – or just studied for it. But Ms Adlon joked: ‘I think they made it harder for you. They were like, “We’re gonna really throw up walls on this one”.’

Meghan spoke about her love of the TV show growing up, crediting it with helping to develop her ‘passion for words’ 

Meghan would have needed to pass the Life in the UK Test, which costs £50 per try and has a 75 per cent pass mark, before applying for citizenship.

The 45-minute test features 24 multiple choice questions about UK laws and the legal system, working in the country, its history, culture and other details of British life. It can be rebooked an unlimited number of times, but applicants must pay each time.

It can also contain questions about the Royal Family – which she remains a member of – such as which King was executed in 1649 and who established the Church of England.

When her engagement to Harry was confirmed in 2017, Buckingham Palace announced the former Suits star would become a British citizen.

But the Sussexes quit the working monarchy in 2020 and moved to the US via Canada, amid reports Meghan had abandoned the process.