Meghan Markle delivers a speech amazingly free of anti-royal venom

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British media and Meghan Markle’s usual chorus of critics were confronted with a shocking new reality on Monday: the Duchess of Sussex delivered a mild speech about a charity she runs. Nobody was devastated. There was no sideways criticism of the Queen, Charles or the royals in general.

Meghan, who was back in the UK with her husband Prince Harry to get a little cold shoulder from the suddenly busy Queen, was the keynote speaker at the One Young World conference in Manchester, England.

The charity says it is focused on “empowering and developing young leaders to build a fair, sustainable future for all”.

Meghan, who wore a stunning red Valentino outfit, began her speech by saying: “It’s very nice to be back in the UK and it’s very nice to be back with you all at One Young World.”

Referring to an impassioned speech by Sir Bob Geldof before her – about the vicious and selfish whims of dictators and fighting authoritarianism for real social justice and change – Meghan said: “As you are likely to hear a lot this week, and as we are right now heard, you will hear all sorts of things; some very heavy, some very uplifting. But the echoing spirit you will hear is that you are the future.

“But I would like to add that you are also the present. It is you who are driving the positive and necessary change that is needed around the world at this moment, and for that I am so grateful to be at your company today.”

The speech at length delved into progressive sentiment, the general thrust of which probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to those who subscribe to Meghan’s chart-topping Spotify podcasts. Word clouds would likely highlight terms such as “representation,” “inclusion,” “global community,” and “the future.”

This was also preceded by a lengthy period of sitting on stage with Prince Harry and a fairly random selection of charity supporters. These included such small names as a “partner at Clifford Chance” and KPMG’s “head of social affairs and governance”.

Curiously, therefore, it was almost exactly what the official royals endure on a day-to-day basis – albeit with Meghan’s added American actor-speak giving her innocuous speech a smooth, glossy, smiley-faced sheen.

All the elements of the classic, mind-numbing royal gig were there: Harry and Meghan had to clap for ages while the flags of 195 countries were waved before them. The band performed God Save the Queen (although perhaps wisely, they did so before the cameras turned on Harry and Meghan). And what could be more establishment than adding a shiver of danger to a trial by Geldof beating up the Anglophone political elite?

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Unfortunately for Meghan, however, the media continues to care far more about her than her message.

In which SunMeghan’s speech was criticized by Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of majesty Magazine, who said: “I can’t imagine or understand how the 2,000 young people understood a word of what she was talking about. It made no sense. It was all about her and related to herself. I don’t think she knew what she was talking about. It was just ‘me, me, me’ and praising yourself.”

Some accuse the tabloids of being fascinated with gossip and trifles to shut out Meghan’s concerns. Today’s objects of fascination are: Meghan and Harry took the train to Manchester! William and Harry won’t see each other during his trip to the UK, although they can (probably) see smoke from each other’s chimneys!

But it’s worth noting that the festering dunghill of the Windsor feud has been turned back into a stink by none other than Meghan herself, her interview with The cut a very intentional distribution of chum in the water.

Criticism of the royals – “By our very existence we disrupted the dynamics of the hierarchy” – and the faint threat to say more about life in the gilded cage whets the public’s appetite for scandal. (The same, of course, applies to breaking the golden rule of not equating one’s marriage with the liberation of Nelson Mandela in media interviews, although that might not have been the most thoughtful catnip sprinkling.)

Coupled with the imminent arrival of Harry’s memoir – and the fact that the family seems to be avoiding it as the content and tone of that memoir remain unknown – the pair are known for family and media attacks at the moment rather than polite rhetoric like that of Meghan delivered in Manchester.

So it’s no small surprise that you could almost hear the crowd thinking, “Is she going to say anything about the royals?” when Meghan started referring to her “husband” and how her life had “changed quite significantly” after her had married him.

And then you could feel the balloon deflate as she revealed that the significant change she was referring to was … a shift in her “worldview” brought on by the birth of a baby.

Meghan has been feeding us gossip and scandal for two solid years now. Of course, she would have been pilloried if she had used the fundraiser to air her grievances to the royals or revisit the events of this controversial bridesmaid’s fitting.

However, Monday’s speech raises the question of which version of Meghan the media and the public want. After urging her to do good deeds and not destroy the royals, it behooves the media to complain when she does just that.

But the truth is that it takes some management to keep the public interested while they shift their talking points to saving the world – not least because in England, when they’re not busy blowing pheasants out of the sky, the is what the royals do.