'To Meghan Markle' is now a verb, and for some reason it doesn't mean ‘to play victim despite sitting pretty'

In the trend of modern-day idolatrous word-building, attempts have been made to turn the name of not-quite-princess Meghan Markle, of recent fame for quitting the Royal Family and taking her husband with her, into a verb.

So, has anyone ‘Meghan Markled' today?

Does that mean: ‘to be a victim, despite prince charming, a baby and endless wealth'? Or perhaps it's short for: ‘martyring someone who acts like a Hollywood princess who voluntarily entered into a life of duty and tradition, only to withdraw 20 months later because things didn't go her way'?

No, the verb ‘to Meghan Markle,' which was created on Twitter, then was picked up and shared by British Radio One DJ Jameela Jamil, means: “To value yourself and your mental health enough to up and leave a room/ situation/ environment in which your authentic self is not welcomed or wanted.”

When such groundbreaking urban speak is being thrust upon us, where else to turn if not the Guardian for further enlightenment.

The author of a piece entitled ‘To Meghan Markle' is now a verb – here's how to use it', Poppy Noor, says Meghan Markle could be referred to in some circles as “the patron saint of good mental health,” due to her “putting up with racism and vilification by certain ‘right-wing' media.”

She asks, “Why shouldn't a word be made for a person who not only realises when love is not returned, but when to get the hell out?” and then suggests using phrases like: “Man, when I go out tonight, I am so going to Meghan Markle it,” at a party, before “going home early, getting eight hours of sleep and not texting your ex.”

There are a few takeaways from this – firstly, reading the Guardian is bad for your mental health. Secondly, do men ever write or read this kind of stuff? No. It's undoing stellar work from previous generations of women, and it's making fools of us.

Thirdly, a “patron saint of good mental health”? What happened to the holy grail of sanity – the combination of not being affected by other people's insecurities or peccadillos and not letting your emotions trick you? Has anyone noticed how the Dalai Lama doesn't fall out with people? Some of his musings have included: “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace,” and: “I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends.”

Most of us can only aspire to achieve this level of inner calm, and clearly so can Meghan – just look at how none of her inconvenient-for-public-image family members appeared at her wedding in Windsor in May 2018 – except her mother, Doria Loyce Ragland, grandmother of Archie, who is seventh in line for the throne.

Ms. Markle has had her fair share of tumult from her side of the family, but after a relatively brief run of giving the gilded life a go, she ‘freed' her prince from his family, because the thousand-year-old institution refused to change for her at the drop of a hat. Not to worry though, she got an enormous boost to her publicity for her trouble.

Despite being lauded by some, not everyone seems to admire the “the modern princess for our time,” often referred to as a true ‘breath of fresh air' for the double standards she lives by. Lecturing us plebs on climate change, while taking four private jet flights in a handful of days, telling us to give her privacy, while globally trademarking her ‘Sussex Royal' brand didn't go down too well with everyone. Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, once reprimanded for calling her “uppity,” in a recent interview expanded the description to include “awful, woke, weak, manipulative, spoilt and irritating.”

© REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool

It's certainly a far cry from the ‘to Meghan Markle' peddled by the faux dictionary of Twitter and the Guardian.

But wait, we already have an online dictionary for neologisms like that: the collectively-edited Urban Dictionary. Let's see if its thousands-strong community shares in the adoration.

It turns out the Urban Dictionary has had ‘to Meghan Markle' as a verb there since 2018 – and the top definition is “Verb for ghosting or disposing people once you have no use or benefit from them anymore without any regard to genuine human relationships,” with examples like: “She did a Meghan Markle on her friends as soon as she became famous.” The new one has been entered there as well, but is struggling with only a couple dozen upvotes so far.

Meanwhile, also on Twitter, ‘to Meghansplain' has appeared. It means, “to come up with a rationale and/or justification for Meghan Markle to convince the Royals to allow her to destroy the Royal Family while at the same time disrespect the throne.”

Oh dear.

Perhaps, before you start ‘Meghan Markling', why not move away from idolising people you don't know at all, and who don't know or care about you? Who needs ‘to Meghan Markle?' What's with putting celebrities on a pedestal? Why not just have the confidence to do your own thing? Is that not what empowered feminism is all about?