Meghan Markle breaks protocol with a sweet gesture in tribute to the queen 1:02
(CNN) --
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has spoken about the loss of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and the "legacy" she left behind, describing her husband's grandmother as "the shining example" of female leadership.
In an interview published Wednesday by
Variety
, Meghan spoke of the "deep gratitude" she felt for spending time with the late monarch, who passed away last month at age 96.
The Duchess was to be honored in Variety's 2022 Power of Women for both her philanthropic and creative work, including the podcast she hosts, "Archetypes."
The original interview took place earlier, but she spoke to the magazine again after the queen's death.
Meghan, who posed for a series of photos with the magazine, spoke of the "outpouring of love and support" she has witnessed.
"What's so beautiful is seeing the legacy that his [Harry's] grandmother was able to leave behind on so many fronts. Certainly in terms of female leadership, she's the shining example of what that looks like," she said.
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Meghan spoke to "Variety" about the role of Queen Elizabeth II.
"I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It has been a difficult time, but my husband, always optimistic, said: 'Now she is reunited with her husband.'"
The queen's husband, Prince Philip, died last year at the age of 99.
Fondly remembering her first official engagement to the queen, Meghan told the magazine she "had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family."
When asked how the family was processing the loss, he replied, "In the big moments in life, you get a lot of perspective. It makes you wonder what you want to focus your energy on. Right now, we feel energized and excited about all the things that we've been building. We're also focused on our foundation. A lot of the work that we do includes the philanthropic space."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they were retiring as active members of the royal family, moving to North America shortly thereafter.
Meghan and Harry's life in California
Meghan opened up about the couple's life in California, sharing details about what it's like to work from home and her penchant for fast food.
"My husband's favorite is In-N-Out. There's one halfway between Los Angeles and our area. It's so much fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them. They know our order," she says.
When asked what her biggest misconceptions about herself are, the Duchess replied: "I think what happens, looking from the outside, when there's so much noise, is that you become dehumanized. But if you remember that someone is a human being, then you don't treat him or talk about him or look at him the same way."
He went on to say that he hoped his "Archetypes" podcast would let people see that he is a "real person" who "laughs and asks questions and approaches things with curiosity."
Meghan also ruled out returning to her acting career: "I'm done. I guess 'never say never,' but my intention is absolutely not (to return)."
Meghan Meghan Markle