Seasoned observers of Meghan Markle – and by now, surely, there cannot be any other kind – might be forgiven for wondering why the Duchess of Sussex has been keeping a comparatively low profile so far in 2023. Her husband seems ubiquitous, whether popping up in the law courts to denounce the media, plugging his memoir or keeping a nation guessing before announcing that he will, in fact, attend his father’s coronation. Meghan, on the other hand, has been notable by her absence from the public gaze.
Yet it might be that she is preparing to make a grand comeback. The news broke recently that the Duchess has signed up with the all-powerful Hollywood talent agency William Morris Entertainment (WME), home of A-list stars from Rihanna to Hugh Jackman. Meghan herself will be managed by Brad Slater and Jill Smoller – the architects behind the success of, respectively, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Serena Williams – as well as the all-powerful Ari Emanuel.
Love her or loathe her, the Duchess of Sussex is likely to remain in the public consciousness for a considerable time to come
Make no mistake, the company that she is keeping is making it very clear that Meghan is a very big deal indeed. She has always regarded herself as someone imbued with star quality, and now the WME signing has proved that her self-belief (never something that she has been short of) is matched by a general recognition from the Hollywood glitterati that she is very much one of them.
But what can we expect from her? A return to acting? Perhaps the romantic comedy that she suggested that she was keen to make? Not exactly.
Instead, the focus will be on ‘film and television production, brand partnerships, and overall business-building’. In other words, we can expect more Netflix series, a great deal more Archewell content and possibly a few executive producer credits, rather than another series of Suits. It has been made clear that she is not expected to appear in front of the cameras herself again, although only the most optimistic of us would rule out the odd attention-seeking cameo in high-profile projects in years to come.
It is not hard to see why Meghan Markle is keen to build her own individual brand. As her husband’s bull-in-a-china-shop attitude towards his family show no signs of resolving itself, she is sufficiently savvy to realise that she cannot maintain her reputation – and fortune – by defining herself in opposition to the family that she was briefly part of.
It is obvious that she has craved global celebrity for years, and this latest development will do little to tarnish her A-list status. Her absence from the impending coronation has been much discussed, but it seems increasingly clear that such matters are an irrelevance to her. The primary goal now is the acquisition and maintenance of her fame at the highest imaginable level.
Love her or loathe her, there can be little doubt that the Duchess of Sussex is likely to remain a figure in the public consciousness for a considerable time to come. Lucky, lucky us.
