Meghan Markle reveals she was taught to feel 'guilty' about being wealthy in latest podcast episode

Sky News AU

5 days ago

Meghan Markle has claimed she was taught to feel shame for having money in the latest episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.
In the episode, which dropped on Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex sat down with close friend and Spanx founder Sara Blakely, who shared how she turned a modest USD$5,000 investment into a billion-dollar brand.
"It was successful, I was profitable from my first month in business at Spanx," Blakely said.
"It was wild. But I was also really bootstrapped and not every business is set up that way- sometimes you have to put in way more money to get your product off the ground."
Blakely encouraged listeners to examine their mindset around money and success, noting that many people hold limiting beliefs.
"A lot of people have not realised they have not got great narratives around success or around obtaining a lot of financial freedom and money for themselves," she said.
Meghan appeared struck by the insight, responding: "But that is so hard to understand, because I genuinely believe I would love to be able to adopt that level of a mindset.
"I think so many women especially, we're taught to not even talk about money, and there's lots of guilt mentality surrounding having a lot."
The 43-year-old former royal added, "At the same time, there's a scarcity mindset" where people believe they will "never have enough".
Blakely, who recently launched a new footwear brand called Sneex, shared her personal philosophy on wealth: "I always tell women in particular, money is really fun to make, really fun to spend and really fun to give away.
"And I think money just makes you more of who you already were… Like, if you're a jerk, and you get a bunch of money, you become a bigger jerk."
Meghan instantly replied: "Yep."
The podcast, aimed at inspiring budding entrepreneurs, comes amid reports that Meghan "thinks she's going to be a billionaire," with The Telegraph citing a well-placed source who says she's hired a team of top-tier executives to get her there.
Since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, Meghan and Prince Harry are believed to have amassed a combined fortune of around USD$60 million, thanks to lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify, book royalties, speaking engagements, and investments.
They also continue to receive some income from Harry's inheritance from his late mother, Princess Diana.
Despite this, Meghan's ambition shows no signs of slowing.
Speaking to Fast Company on Tuesday, she revealed her lifestyle brand As Ever (formerly American Orchard Riveria) sold out its first collection in just 45 minutes.
"Meghan says that even though the team spent a year preparing the line and forecasting demand, all the products on the site sold out in 45 minutes," journalist Elizabeth Segran wrote.
"Now, they're trying to plan As Ever's next phase."
According to the outlet, Meghan plans to take stock of what worked before rolling out more products.
"I want to really focus on the hospitality angle of As Ever, but as we take the learnings, we can understand what the customer's needs are seasonally," the former Suits actress said.
She also hinted that fashion could be her next frontier.
"The category of fashion is something I will explore at a later date.
I do think that's an interesting space for me," she said.
Interestingly, in addition to her podcast and lifestyle brand, Meghan recently launched an online shopping platform allowing fans to purchase high-end items she endorses, earning commission on select pieces.