Academics accuse Meghan Markle of dropping feminist beliefs for Royals

Meghan Markle speaking during her trip to New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images

A new report has come out slamming Meghan Markle for dropping her feminist ideals and taking on a "conservative, upper class makeover" instead.

While Markle first appeared to be something of a revolutionist for the Royal Family, a report from Celebrity Studies claims instead of encouraging change, Meghan has conformed to conservative ways.

The former actress was a vocal women's rights campaigner, travelling the globe and speaking for change in society.

But since marrying Prince Harry the Duchess has used her celebrity status to "re-legitimise" the Royal Family's male monarchical power, claim Laura Clancy and Hannah Yelin from Celebrity Studies at Oxford Brookes University.

The researchers studied Meghan's activities before and after her wedding and deduce that she has been somewhat silenced by the Royal Family.

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The Duchess of Sussex yesterday attended a meeting with The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) at King’s College London. Her Royal Highness joined university leaders, academics and international scholarship students as they discussed the role of higher education in addressing issues such as human trafficking, modern slavery, gender equality, peace and reconciliation, and climate change. In a speech during the Royal Visit to Fiji in October, The Duchess announced two ACU Gender Grants for the University of the South Pacific and Fiji National University, to fund new learning initiatives aimed at empowering female university staff and promoting gender equality.

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 6, 2018 at 3:03am PST

Clancy and Yelin noted in the study: "Markle's activist voice has been either silenced or appropriated by the monarchy: she has quit her acting career, closed down her popular blog and social media accounts for all her online activity to be ciphered through Kensington Palace.

"Meanwhile, Markle is said to be receiving 'duchess lessons' from the Queen's advisers, to be brought up to speed with protocol and expectations of life with the monarchy."

Before meeting Price Harry, Markle became the UN Women's Advocate for Women's Political Participation and Leadership in 2015.

Markle shared of her advocacy: "Women make up more than half of the world's population ... it is neither just nor practical for our voices to go unheard at the highest levels of decision-making."

However, on Markle's royal profile, Kensington Palace does state that her work with charities encouraged her to devote her time to helping with women's issues.

"These early experiences helped to shape her lifelong commitment to causes such as social justice and women's empowerment," her profile reads.

However both Clancy, who lectures in sociology, and Yelin, a researcher in gender issues suggest the Duchess has reversed the previous good work she has done.

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"Everyone should be afforded the opportunity to receive the education they want, but more importantly the education they have the right to receive. And for women and girls in developing countries, this is vital.” — swipe to watch The Duchess of Sussex’s first speech, announcing the award of two new grants to Fiji National University and @UniSouthPacific. These grants will allow them to run workshops which empower their female staff, ensure that women are provided with the training and skills to operate effectively in their roles, and those with leadership potential are given the opportunity to be heard and recognised at the most senior level. #RoyalVisitFiji #Fiji #Suva

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Oct 23, 2018 at 8:58pm PDT

The pair wrote: "A celebrity (post) feminist such as Markle is of great value to a British monarchy keen to ... mask, or at least deflect attention from, their own intensely problematic relationship with issues of race, gender, class and religion.

"What is at stake here is much more than the representations of one woman and the meanings contained therein; it is the meaning of feminism itself."