Less than two months after marrying the British royal, the Duchess of Sussex was caught in a video speaking with a slight British accent during a royal engagement with Queen Elizabeth in June.
- Jul 7, 2018
AceShowbiz - Does Meghan Markle have a British accent now? Fans flipped on Internet after a royal fan shared a video from a recent encounter with the Duchess of Sussex during a royal engagement with Queen Elizabeth II last June.
In the clip that was posted on Twitter, the former "Suits" star greeted a bystander. "We all had a great day, I think," the newlywed said in the clip taken during her visit to Cheshire, England on June 14 after someone told her she looked "gorgeous” at her May nuptials to Prince Harry. "The sun was shining for us," she added, before moving on to another fan.
Meghan said my name, that’s me done😭 pic.twitter.com/167F2ubjUh
— Aya El Zeiny (@elzeiny99) June 14, 2018
Meghan sounded like having a slight British accent or starting to lose her American accent in the video. But given that she just moved to England several months ago before marrying Prince Harry, some people accused her of faking her British accent.
"Well she is an actress so she is used to faking," one responded to the video. Another nasty comment read, "Attention, Meghan Markle… Bear in mind the name 'Madonna' and consider how the British public reacts to those, like YOU, who decide to adopt a very DODGY, and eminently PHONY, BRITISH ACCENT..." The said Twitter user was referring to singer Madonna who was once accused of faking her British accent when she moved to England with her then-husband Guy Ritchie.
Another critic commented, "Meghan Markle is a lil phony for that fake British accent coming through. But if I became British royalty you'd see me day 2 saying pip pip cheerio." One other said, "English accent they say...it's a well traveled American accent."
But some others have defended Meghan. "People who are rolling their eyes have likely not moved or stayed long term in another country before. This isn't that crazy & I doubt it's phoney," one wrote on Twitter. Another tweeted, "I don't understand why it's a big deal if Meghan Markle develops a British accent. 1. She's married to one. 2. She's an actress and has probably taken lessons in accents. And 3. It's a subconscious form of empathy."
Voice, speech and dialect coach Patricia Fletcher told HuffPost it's normal that someone picked up the speech patterns of those around her. "Meghan Markle strikes me as someone who is very attentive and someone who has a lot of empathy for others," she explained. "If she also has a good ear for music, rhythm and inflection and is now surrounded by British English speakers (especially people she loves) it would not surprise me if her sounds might adjust a bit-perhaps even unconsciously."
And one person is always supportive of Meghan no matter what her accent is. A source says that her husband, Prince Harry, "finds it absolutely adorable." The source additionally tells HollywoodLife.com, "But then, Harry finds absolutely everything Meghan says and does, absolutely adorable."
Of Meghan's accent, the source explains, "Meghan is definitely starting to lose the edge off of her American accent, but that’s really not surprising given the fact she's immersed in the most British of British institutions 24/7."
The so-called insider adds, "She's not taking elocution lessons, or purposely trying to adopt an English accent, but you can definitely notice a change when she speaks. Her question-asking inflection is different now, as is some of her pronunciation. Meghan's also starting to use British vocabulary instead of American a lot of the time too. So, she will say 'biscuits' instead of 'cookies' and 'sweets' instead of 'candy.' "
