The past few weeks have been packed with activities for Meghan Markle, including her unexpected appearance at Paris Fashion Week where she quickly became the center of attention, meetings with prominent A-list friends, and receiving recognition at a ceremony in New York City.
Most recently, the Duchess of Sussex participated in the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 2025 in Washington DC, where she spoke openly about numerous subjects, including her connection with social media, managing work-life balance, and the significance of “financial independence,” especially for women.
Meghan argued it shouldn’t be considered “taboo” to talk about how vital financial independence truly is, with her remarks following years of public examination regarding the Sussexes’ lucrative contracts, as their goal to earn their own income was among the primary reasons behind their decision to step away from their roles as working royals in 2020.
When questioned by Alyson Shontell, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer for Fortune, about the significance of financial independence, Meghan responded, “Well, financial independence is what gives you the freedom of choice, and I think in this day and age, we all need to be able to have our autonomy, there is a huge element of that financial literacy for that reason that I spend a lot of time on, especially for young girls and their empowerment.”
The Duchess continued, “As women, when we’re supporting each other, for all of these elements that might not necessarily be the ones that people want to hear us talking about, there’s nothing taboo, there doesn’t need to be anything taboo about talking about our financial independence, or independence overall.
When Harry and Meghan initially revealed their plans to “step back” as full-time working royals in January 2020, they had hoped to continue representing the crown on a part-time basis while pursuing “financial independence and moving away from receiving taxpayer funding.”
In their statement at the time, they expressed their desire to “no longer receive funding through the Sovereign Grant” and declared “they will become members of the royal family with financial independence which is something they look forward to.”
Nevertheless, the arrangement they suggested was swiftly rejected by the late Queen, palace officials, and other senior royals, who considered it unsuitable for the couple to pursue private commercial endeavors while maintaining any official role representing the monarchy, reports the Mirror.
However, it was not her outfit that caught fans’ attention – it was her timeless custom Dior heels.
Meghan finished off her ensemble with a pair of bespoke Dior heels, the same shoes she wore for Prince Archie’s christening at Windsor Castle back in July 2019, reports the Express.
The nude, strappy design featured a delicate ankle wrap and pointed toe. For those who follow royal fashion, it was a touching reminder of one of her most memorable family moments.
The Duchess has long maintained a close relationship with Dior, a brand associated with timeless elegance and her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
She first wore the French label in July 2018 at the Royal Air Force centenary celebrations, where she sported a navy dress and a custom Stephen Jones hat.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
