Meghan Markle in the spotlight during Golden Globes despite absence: Why didn't she attend?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex might have hoped that leaving the UK would reduce the amount of media attention they receive but unfortunately for them, this hasn’t been the case. Even worse, it seems like the attention and obsession has increased.

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The latest example of that is the 2024 Golden Globes which took place in Los Angeles on 7 January which Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did not attend. However, the former actress ended up being the talk of the night.

As her former Suits co-stars reunited to present an award, all everyone wanted to know was if the show was going to be rebooted and if the Duchess was going to take part. This left the actors having to dodge questions and make comments which are now all over the press.

Why didn’t Meghan Markle attend the Golden Globes?

Since the Duchess is what everyone is talking about after the award ceremony, this question is in many people’s minds. To answer it is not an easy feat and forces journalists to speculate.

That is what Elle writer Alyssa Bailey does in her article published the night of the event. She writes:

Her absence is understandable, considering the fact that her attending would likely require heightened security, and, of course, she is not nominated for an award.

Those are very good points. Why would the royals attend something they have no business being at, knowing all the logistics it would involve? In her article, Bailey also puts forward what a ‘source’ told US Weekly in December:

(...) the way they see it, they’re choosing quality over quantity instead of grabbing every opportunity that comes their way.

That is a point worth making. Indeed, in November 2023, the Duchess attended the Variety’s Power of Women event. This night celebrates the ‘resiliency of women against long odds and low expectations (...) of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars’. That is exactly the kind of events the Duchess of Sussex wants and has often been associated with.

Moreover, as Meghan Markle is often said to be ‘snubbed’ by Hollywood events, we decided to look into how many times before the Duchess had attended the Golden Globes. Our research has shown that only in 2012 and 2013 was she photographed at afterparties.

As she has herself said in numerous interviews, those Hollywood events are never something she attended even when Suits was at its height of popularity so it’s not surprising that she would choose not to attend them now that she is technically not part of any show or film.

What was said at the Golden Globes

Summer 2023 was called ‘the summer of Suits’ as the show broke streaming records on Netflix. This surprising and unexpected revival of the show, which had been stopped for years, is the reason why the cast was asked to present at the 2024 Golden Globes. Indeed, the ceremony attempts to reflect what happened in the entertainment industry in the year.

Just like during the summer, rumours of a possible reboot of the show were addressed at the Golden Globes and the cast present at the event were asked if Meghan Markle would be taking part.

While Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams chose to play coy, Gina Torres made a more surprising revelation. She said that they didn’t have Meghan Markle’s phone number.

Speaking on the red carpet she said: