In a highly-anticipated speech, Meghan Markle spoke powerfully about ambition, self-doubt, and her marriage to Prince Harry.
The Duchess delivered the opening keynote address at the 2022 One Young World Summit in Manchester, which takes place from 5 to 8 September and explores themes “ranging from conflict prevention and gender equality to health, oceans and ethical leadership.”
Opened the speech, she spoke to the audience, “As you’ll likely hear many times this week, and as we just heard, you’ll hear all sorts of things – some very heavy, some very uplifting. But the resounding spirit I believe you’ll hear is that you are the future.”
She continued, "But I would like to add to that, that you are also the present. You are the ones driving the positive and necessary change needed across the globe in this very moment, and for that I’m so very grateful to be in your company today.”
Meghan Markle has been a counsellor at One Young World since 2014 and has attended the summit four times. However, this was the first time she was joined by her husband. She reflected on feeling undeserving of her role as a counsellor:
"It was several years ago in 2014 that I was first invited to be be a counsellor at One Young World, and in many ways at the time I was probably a lot like each of you – young, ambitious, advocating for the things I deeply and profoundly believed in, and also looking around and wondering "How on earth did I get here?"
"Have any of you today so far had that feeling, that pinch me moment where you just go "How am I here? Oh it’s a lot." And at that dinner there were about 20 to 30 of us for the counsellors, and there I was, I was the girl from Suits.
She added, “I was surrounded by world leaders, humanitarians, prime ministers and activists that I had such a deep and longstanding respect and admiration for. And I was invited to pull up a seat at the table.”
Meghan then opened up about a feeling that many of us can relate to: imposter syndrome, AKA, the notion that we're somehow unqualified/undeserving of our careers and/or our lives in general.
She explained, “I was so overwhelmed by this experience...I was so nervous.
"I doubted myself and I wondered if I was good enough to even be there. What I was doing in the world, albeit important and meaningful as far as I saw it, was it deserving to have a seat at this table? But One Young World saw in me what I wanted to see fully in myself. They saw in me just as I see in you: the present and the future.
“I reiterate that point because often times we speak to young adults about the years ahead, about what you’ll do, what you’ll have to adopt to fix from previous generations and also what legacy you’ll leave. But too often in that you neglect the point that you’re doing it now. You here in this present moment. This is where it’s all beginning.”
Inspiring stuff, I think we can all agree.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
