Meghan Markle admits she ‘projected judgement and envy’ onto Paris Hilton prior to podcast episode

Meghan Markle has revealed she felt “judgement and envy” towards Paris Hilton when she was young because she was always “the smart one” growing up while Hilton was “the pretty one”.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, sat down with the American socialite, 41, for the latest episode of her podcast, Archetypes. During the episode, Markle and Hilton discussed the term “bimbo” – used to describe women as attractive but unintelligent – and how Hilton played into her media narrative as a “dumb blonde”.

At the start of their conversation, Markle explained to Hilton that she was nervous for this specific podcast episode.

“I remember growing up in LA around the same age and you were just so famous and so beautiful,” the royal admitted. “I was this nerd, so it was so hard for me to think about what you and I would talk about when so much of the identity – whether it was placed upon you, or you adopted, or embraced, or used to build a career – was about not leaning into being smart.”

Throughout the episode, Hilton opened up about the alleged abuse she experienced at the Provo Canyon School in Utah, which Hilton was sent to by her parents when she was 16 and returned home 11 months later. She claimed that adopting her “Barbie doll” persona was a “safety mechanism” to escape the trauma she experienced at the school.

After her discussion with Hilton, Markle admitted to listeners that she had preconceived notions about the socialite prior to meeting her. The duchess said she was “nervous” to speak with Hilton because she had “projected” her “judgement and envy” onto Hilton when they were teens.

“You heard me at the beginning of this episode talk about how I was nervous for this one. Nervous because, while I’m embarrassed to admit it, I had a judgement about Paris. And I don’t like having judgement. Doesn’t feel good,” Markle said. “When I grew up, she was beautiful, rich and famous. ‘What could possibly be wrong with her life?’ I would think. And because my entire sense of self-confidence was wrapped up in being the smart one and not the pretty one, I found the way to project all of my judgement and envy onto her.

She added: “‘Who would want to act stupid?’ I would think. Envy can be a very dangerous thing, as can judgement. I was ashamed to admit that I harboured either of those feelings.”

Markle also opened up about her own experience with the label “bimbo” during the latest Archetypes episode. The Duchess of Sussex, who appeared on the game show Deal or No Deal during the early stages of her acting career, explained that she didn’t like how the show made her feel “not smart”.

“I ended up quitting the show. I was so much more than what was being objectified on the stage,” she said. “I didn’t like feeling forced to be all looks. And little substance. And that’s how it felt for me at the time being reduced to this specific archetype, the word bimbo.”

Markle also said she hopes her one-year-old daughter Lilibet – whom she shares with Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex – sets her goals “slightly higher” than her mother once did.

“I want our daughter to aspire to be slightly higher,” the duchess said. “Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want to be smart and to pride herself on those things.”