When Meghan Met Larry

It was very sadly announced today iconic broadcasting legend Larry King passed away. Over six decades, King pioneered radio and television. With his charismatic interviewing style, pointed questioning and distinctive voice, Larry King became one of the most popular presenters of all time. I've seen descriptions today describing him as 'The King of Talk', a moniker which fits his illustrious career and influence. Meghan has been a longtime fan and was delighted to appear on King's shows on several occasions. After their conversations together, King became a supporter of the Duchess, sharing thoughtful analysis and reflections on the impact she would have joining the Royal family.

When I started this blog, one of my primary resources was simply heading to YouTube and listening to interviews. A conversation Meghan had with Larry stood out for me in particular - a discussion on gender equality. Speaking to Meghan in her advocacy role as UN Women's Advocate for Women's Political Participation and Leadership. Following a brief discussion on the Tig, the pair spoke of Rwanda, Meghan's visit there and the path forward. Praising the strength of women in the country, Meghan touched on the horrendous suffering Rwanda experienced. "So many men were lost in the genocide, so it gave women an opportunity to either succumb to that or to then find strength and mobilize in a way that was really empowering. I think that's specifically what they've done. It's a great benchmark for women all over the world."

Larry continued, "There are more women than men in the world. Women live longer," adding, "You would think this would advance faster." Meghan agreed and noted recent progress had been encouraging. "How fantastic it's making dinner table conversation. We're talking about it. That it's something people are not ashamed to talk about anymore." If you have the time to listen to the interview, one can hear Meghan share her beliefs on equality - it's very much in keeping with the work she did in the UK and is now doing in the US. Larry, as always, gave a masterclass on leading with key questions. As the conversation closed Meghan noted the importance of being "a feminist and feminine". Larry told her, "I've been a feminist all my life."

There was an incredibly fun interview when Meghan and her co-star Patrick J Adams (better known as Mike Ross to Suitors:)) sat down for a very fun chat. They discussed the path to landing their roles on the show and the failed pilots along the way. When asked if they ever considered leaving the business Meghan replied, "Yes." "All things considered we're so lucky. It feels like a slow burn, but really in the grand scheme of things, doing this for six, seven years, and then having a show with this level of success is crazy."

Meghan discussed her love of calligraphy before writing a personalised note for Larry.

Fast forward a bit and of course this happened...

Ahead of the wedding, Larry said, "When Meghan was on my shows, I loved her passion. She spoke about her projects with a true burning passion about them. She was also a person who stood up for what she believes in. She is not the type to shy away from speaking her mind. She reminded me of Lady Diana in the way that she speaks up for what she believes is right, but I believe she may be more political than Diana was." King noted he thought Meghan would be "a great source of pride" to the Royal family. Describing her as a "terrific person", he added, "She will truly make an amazing princess."

During a separate interview he reflected on Princess Diana's legacy. "Princess Diana would have loved this. She wanted the monarchy to become every day and having an interracial marriage in the monarchy in London is a great step forward." Adding, "All of Meghan’s work, all of that preparation lends her well to the monarchy."

A tweet of congratulations following Archie's birth. Apparently Larry loved taking photos after interviews. The image below is a great one!

This message was shared by Larry King's team today.

A legend who will be dearly missed.

Before I sign off, I want to highly recommend this fantastic interview Harry did with Fast Company. The Prince has spent much of 2020 having conversations on a multitude of topics. He's taken the time to listen and learn, and has some very interesting insights and thoughts on the path to improving social media.

"Along with millions of others who see and feel what this era has done at every level, we are losing loved ones to conspiracy theories, losing a sense of self because of the barrage of mistruths, and at the largest scale, losing our democracies.

The magnitude of this cannot be overstated, as noted even by the defectors who helped build these platforms. It takes courage to stand up, cite where things have gone wrong, and offer proposals and solutions. The need for that is greater than ever before. So I’m encouraged by and grateful for the groundswell of people who work—or have worked—inside these very platforms choosing to speak up against hate, violence, division, and confusion."

Reflecting on his journey with Meghan and the harassment they faced in the UK:

"I was really surprised to witness how my story had been told one way, my wife’s story had been told one way, and then our union sparked something that made the telling of that story very different.

That false narrative became the mothership for all of the harassment you’re referring to. It wouldn’t have even begun had our story just been told truthfully.

But the important thing about what we experienced is that it led to us hearing from so many others around the world. We’ve thought a lot about those in much more vulnerable positions than us, and how much of a need there is for real empathy and support."

The call for empathy is much needed across the online sphere. I know we're all excited to see Archewell develop this year. To read the interview in full please click here.