Meghan Markle’s Accent Has Changed; Duchess Develops English-Aristocratic Speaking Style, Expert Claims

Meghan Markle’s accent has changed since she joined the royal family. The duchess has reportedly developed a style that sounds very English-aristocratic when she is interacting with the public, according to one expert.

Phonetics and pronunciation specialist Dr. Geoff Lindsey recently talked about Markle’s intonation. He said that it has become more British than American when she asked a royal fan, “Did you make that for us?” while she was in Birkenhead last month.

Marisa Brook, assistant professor in linguistics at the University of Toronto, also pointed out a moment when the Duchess of Sussex told a someone, “I do appreciate that,” while she was also in Birkenhead.

“The vowel in ‘that’ is further back in the mouth than you would expect for American English. I think a lot of it is deliberate on her part… She’s developed a style to be used when directly talking with the British public,” she told BBC.

Brook also commented on how some people have judged Markle in public instantly after hearing the change in her accent and intonation because it has really benefited her when it comes to sounding British and aristocratic.

“If it’s conscious, I don’t think it makes her manipulative, or a poser or anything. She’s someone who’s very off-beat from those who usually join the Royal Family – it makes a lot of sense… It’s not she’s changing who she is,” she said.

Last year, royal fans took notice of how Markle’s accent has changed just months after she wed Prince Harry. While she was in Cheshire in June 2018, Markle pronounced the word “all” just like how the Duke of Sussex pronounced it and it sounded very much different to how she said the word during her engagement interview in November 2017.

According to Lindsey, although there was a change, it was subtle.

In related news, Markle also made headlines this week after The Guardian noted that tormenting the “Suits” alum has become a national sport. This is because several negative stories have been written about the royal in the past couple of months.