MadameNoire
Source: Tibrina Hobson/Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty / Getty
Gearing up for the premiere of Anne Boleyn — an upcoming Channel 5 series of the same name wherein which she plays King Henry VIII’s second wife — U.K. native and actress Jodie Turner-Smith recently shared her thoughts on the impact Meghan Markle could’ve had if she and Prince Harry didn’t make their infamous 2020 royal exit.
Speaking with The Telegraph, Turner-Smith noted despite starring in an upcoming series about the monarchy, she’s only seen just a few episodes of Netflix’s popular series, The Crown. Sharing her thoughts on Britain’s current real-life royals later in the piece, she told the outlet, “I would not consider myself a monarchist. I think it’s interesting that the institution is not changing with the time, or quickly enough. We have to look at things in a modern context. And only then we will recognize that certain things are archaic, and don’t really serve us as a community and are limiting us. I think we should keep those things in stories and move on to something else in reality.”
“I think that Meghan could have been that,” she added, speaking on how she’d previously hoped Markle could have brought forth the contemporary change the monarchy needs to sustain its status. Explaining her point further, Turner-Smith continued, “It was a terrible missed opportunity, the way in which it was not allowed to be something that really modernizes that institution, and to change it to something for the better. I think that’s why there’s dysfunction there.”
If you recall, Markle and Prince Harry were married back in 2018. Earlier this year, the couple’s groundbreaking interview with Oprah shared revealing and personal details concerning why the two of them chose to give up their titles as senior members of the royal family. Markle in particular opened up about her experiences with racism amidst the monarchy against her and the couple’s son Archie. She also spoke with Oprah about her battle with depression during her and Prince Harry’s life at that time.
More details about Markle and Prince Harry’s struggles with the royal family — and why they made their royal exit — can be found here.
