During Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tour of Colombia, the Duchess of Sussex gave a confident speech on female empowerment – and one expert believes she took inspiration from one particular royal for the appearance

Meghan Markle made a statement by taking inspiration from a surprise royal source while giving a speech during her controversial tour of Colombia.

Both Meghan and husband Prince Harry visited the South American nation for a four-day trip after being invited by the country’s Vice President Francia Marquez. The couple took part in a range of engagements, including visiting a forum paying tribute to the contributions of Afro-Colombian women, leaders and entrepreneurs.

There, Meghan spoke on a panel, giving a speech about female empowerment and making a rare comment about her three-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet. Meghan spoke of how her young daughter’s personality is taking shape and said: “I know how it feels when you don’t utilise your voice when you need to be heard or have something to say. I encourage our daughter to do so – who at three has absolutely found her voice, and we are so proud of that.”

Meghan alongside Francia Marquez, the Colombian Vice President ( Image: Getty Images)

According to body language expert Darren Stanton, Meghan’s appearance on the panel was one of her most “honest and open” displays for a long time – and he believed she even took inspiration from her stepmother-in-law Queen Camilla for the appearance.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Roulette, he said: “When we saw Meghan speaking on the panel, she came across as calm and collected, while being completely authentic. It’s probably been the most honest and open display we’ve seen from Meghan for a long time. All the way through, she’s congruent with her body language and facial expressions. We’ve been exposed to a very confident side to Meghan, as she displayed no signs of hesitation or feeling tension.

“Meghan feels at home on this stage. She’s speaking so openly. When we analyse her tone of voice, it’s steady, consistent and low. It doesn’t change too much, telling us she’s comfortable and at ease. She was also wearing white and could be taking inspiration from Queen Camilla, who often opts for white during engagements. The colour white attracts positive energy and calmness but also makes a statement. Meghan has proved she feels self-assured, competent and able to assert herself.”

Camilla, wearing white, gives a speech raising awareness of violence against women and girls in 2022 (Image: Kin Cheung/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Both Camilla and Meghan have supported causes that champion women – even during the time when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were working members of the Royal Family. Therefore it was no surprise that when Meghan was first introduced to the Firm, she seemed to hit it off with the now Queen.

But despite their early bond, it appears that things may have turned sour for the two women – and one major flashpoint came when a move by Meghan that saw her allegedly break a pledge left that is said to have left Camilla very upset.

It came four years ago when the Mirror revealed that Meghan had insisted photos of her at a theatre appeared on the day as the then Duchess of Cornwall gave an important address. Camilla gave a speech on the 10th anniversary of the Women of the World Festival in London which had been nearly a year in the planning.

It was said that Meghan had promised not to overshadow Camilla’s vital campaign against abuse – but then pictures of her on a private visit to the National Theatre were published the very same day as the landmark speech. Palace officials remained tight-lipped about the row but one well-placed insider said at the time: “Camilla’s work is very important to her and her decision to highlight the scourge of domestic violence at the 10th ­anniversary of Women of the World was a carefully thought-out plan.

“Over the last four years, she has worked tirelessly, mostly behind the scenes but to great effect, to use her ­platform and personal experiences to highlight the issue and help sufferers.

“Of course, it was known Harry and Meghan would be doing engagements this week, some privately, but everyone was in agreement that Camilla’s speech should take p­recedence. ­Unfortunately, some people had other ideas.” The move sparked shock and fury inside the Palace, with insiders revealing that Meghan had “refused to listen” to the pleas of staff.