Jodie Turner-Smith believes the British royal family missed an opportunity by not allowing the Duchess of Sussex to “modernise that institution”.
The 34-year-old actress – who plays Queen Anne Boleyn in Channel 5 series ‘Anne Boleyn’ – has suggested that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s decision to step back from royal duties was a “terrible missed opportunity”.
Speaking to The Telegraph, she said; “I think that Meghan could have been that. It was a terrible missed opportunity, the way in which it was not allowed to be something that really modernises that institution, and to change it to something for the better. I think that’s why there’s dysfunction there.”
Despite her royal role, Jodie is “not a monarchist” herself and thinks the royals “don’t really serve us as a community”.
She added: “I would not consider myself a monarchist. I think it’s interesting that the institution is not changing with the time, or quickly enough. We have to look at things in a modern context. And only then we will recognise that certain things are archaic, and don’t really serve us as a community and are limiting us. I think we should keep those things in stories and move on to something else in reality.”
Jodie is in a relationship with ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star Joshua Jackson – with whom she shares 13-month-old daughter Janie – and she recently revealed that their love affair began as a “one-night stand”.
The ‘Queen & Slim’ star said: “So when I first met my husband, it was kind of – we had a one-night stand. We’re in a two, three-year one night stand now!”