Meghan Markle has always been a person with a lot to say. As a little girl, she was fighting against sexism in TV commercials and she continued to speak publicly about women’s education and empowerment long before she met and married Prince Harry. As a member of the royal family her platform is bigger than ever, but so are the restrictions around when and where she can speak out.

There are, of course, official engagements and speeches, as well as her guest editing stint for British Vogue and her and Harry’s revealing documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, where the Duchess of Sussex opened up about her struggles behind the scenes. But unlike Hollywood celebrities, the royals don’t often talk directly with the press. However, during a recent trip to the Luminary Bakery, Markle did just that with the Telegraph‘s Bryony Gordon.

Per Gordon, the Duchess took time during the event to explain why she’s more than OK breaking royal protocol. “One of the things I have realised since being here [in the UK] is that people have an expectation when I’m coming somewhere, so I’m like, let’s just be really relaxed, keep everyone nice and chilled because at the end of the day we’re all just women. We all have a story to tell, and I feel honored that I am getting to hear yours,” she said to two of the women.

Gordon also watched Markle interact with the people at the event and drew conclusions of her own. “I get the distinct impression that Meghan has accepted the strange situation in which she finds herself: she is damned if she does, and she is damned if she doesn’t, and being the kind of person she is, she’s going to carry on doing, thank you very much,” she wrote.

Gordon continued: “[Markle] told me that she didn’t want people to love her—she just wanted them to be able to hear her. I have found that this is what the Duchess of Sussex stands for: using her voice to help give one to people less privileged than her.”

Markle reportedly also spoke passionately about why Luminary Bakery, which helps disadvantaged women get job training and build confidence, means so much to her.

“I was talking about this with someone the other day,” Markle said. “We get into this habit of wanting things done immediately nowadays. There’s a culture of instant gratification, of the instant fix. But we aren’t mechanical objects that need to be fixed. You’re a wounded creature that needs to be healed, and that takes time. And that’s what I love about this place. It gives you the support to heal.”

Markle may not be concerned with people loving her, but many very much do. From the politicians sending an open letter of support to her fans trending with the hashtag #WeLoveYouMeghan, there’s lots of royal love going around.

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