Critics Slam Meghan Markle for Mentioning Herself 54 Times During Speech: ‘It Was Very Self-Centered’

Some critics are taking aim at Meghan Markle’s recent One Young World summit speech, pointing out how she made it mostly about herself. The way Meghan mentioned herself 54 times during the brief speech left many unimpressed.

Meghan Markle mentioned herself more than 50 times in her One Young World summit speech

The Duchess of Sussex took to the stage at the One Young World summit to deliver a keynote speech. She told the young leaders in attendance it was “very nice to be back in the UK” and gave an inspiring message, including her “you are the future … you are also the present” remark.

Meghan discussed how she first became involved with the organization in 2014. “And there I was, I was the girl from Suits. I was surrounded by world leaders, humanitarians, prime ministers and activists that I had such a deep and long-standing respect and admiration for,” she explained.

“And I was invited to pull up a seat at the table. I was so overwhelmed by this experience, I think I even saved my little paper place card that said my name on it,” Meghan continued. “Just proof — proof that I was there and proof that I belonged because the truth was, I wasn’t sure that I belonged.”

She noted, “I was so nervous, I doubted myself and I wondered, wondered if I was good enough to even be there if what I was doing in the world, albeit important and meaningful as far as I saw it, was it deserving to have a seat at this table?”

The Duchess of Sussex added, “But One Young World saw in me what I wanted to see fully in myself. They saw in me, just as I see in you, the present and the future.”

She also shared, “I joined you in London in 2019. And by that point, it’s fair to say, my life had changed rather significantly. I was now married and I was now a mom,” Meghan said.

“My world view had expanded exponentially, seeing the global community through the eyes of my child,” she added.

One expert said Meghan Markle ‘doesn’t read the room’

Royal correspondent Rupert Bell took aim at the number of times Meghan mentioned herself during the speech.

When TalkTV‘s Julia Hartley-Brewer noted, “I love the fact that she gave a speech, it lasted seven minutes and she referred to herself no less than 54 times,” Bell weighed in with his take.

“It was impressive. That’s the whole point of her, she doesn’t read the room,” he remarked.

“She’s committed to this cause and this charity but when you have a chance to do something can’t you say something else other than yourself and about the journey she’s on?” Bell continued.

The expert noted, “Clearly this is a staged managed part of the documentary. The crowd were delighted to see her, there were plenty of smiles and people were cheering her. But it’s a very stage-managed operation here.”

He added, “Seven minutes talking about how she was a shrinking violet and then discovered her voice, it seems to not read the room. If you’re going to give a speech then try and actually come up with anything that can help but I’m not sure this is the biggest crisis in the world.”

Another expert called Meghan Markle’s speech ‘self-centered’

Royal expert Russell Myers also found Meghan’s speech to be too focused on the Duchess of Sussex.

“This was her big moment, the first time she was speaking in public since leaving the royal family and unfortunately, it has felt a bit flat because it was very, very self-centered — for want of a better phrase,” he explained on an episode of Lorraine.

Myers added, “Somebody actually counted the amount of times that she mentioned herself and it was an astonishing 54 times in a seven-minute speech.”