The Duchess of Sussex has interviewed Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles in a final bonus episode of her podcast which came out this morning.
Meghan Markle spoke on Confessions of a Female Founder with the 71-year-old fashion designer, who has recently been promoting her new memoir ‘Matriarch’.
Meghan said Knowles is a ‘fashion designer, beauty entrepreneur, cultural icon who has spent decades celebrating and elevating black style alongside her daughters’.
She also referred to Knowles launching the haircare line Cécred with Beyoncé, adding that she was ‘so happy to be sitting down with you’ and ‘so glad you reached out’.
Meghan said she ‘loved seeing Yvette there’ – referring to Beyonce’s publicist Yvette Noel-Schure – and ‘wrote her a letter after I went to B’s concert a couple of years ago – she said the kindest things, and I just wanted to know how much I meant to me.’
Knowles then said: ‘And Tyler talks about you all… he loves you, Tyler Perry, he’s a really good friend of mine.’ Meghan replied: ‘Yes, well, he’s a good friend to have.
‘He’s the most extraordinary soundboard. It’s interesting for us to be sitting down talking about business, because he is that person that when I have questions about business or just when you feel like you’re off your path, I need to check in with Tyler.’
Hollywood mogul Perry has previously spoken about helping the couple when they moved to the US in 2020, providing them with a home and security in Los Angeles.
The Duchess of Sussex (left, at the Time100 Summit in New York on April 23) has interviewed Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles (right, at SiriusXM studios in the city on May 20)
Beyoncé (centre) on stage with daughters Blue Ivy (back left) and Rumi (front left) and mother Tina Knowles (right) at SoFi Stadium in California on May 1 during her Cowboy Carter tour
Meghan and Harry saw Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour at SoFi Stadium in California on May 9
Meghan also referred to her son Prince Archie turning six years old ‘tomorrow’ – meaning the episode was recorded on May 5 – adding: ‘Where did the time go?’
The Duchess spoke to Knowles about how she opened her first Headliners hair salon in Texas in 1990, after Knowles said she would go to salons and be ‘there for five hours’ – so she decided to start a business where she could ‘respect people’s time’.
Meghan said: ‘I remember me with all my hair growing up, oh my gosh, and my mum (Doria Ragland) would have to drop me off at the hair salon and I would sit there for three to four hours for them to press and curl my hair, and that was at the age of 13.’
Knowles told the Duchess about how she ‘fights so hard’ for her family, which also includes her other daughter Solange Knowles and her four grandchildren.
Speaking about the advice she gives to her daughters, Knowles added: ‘I tell them every day, since they were little girls, ‘You belong anywhere you choose to be’.’
Knowles said she ‘learned to be a boss’ during her career in the hair industry, adding: ‘I think that you start your business and then you find yourself. It gives you confidence that you didn’t have before.’
Turning to Cécred, Knowles said: ‘It has been a dream of mine forever, and Beyoncé, it’s been a dream of hers.’ She added that Beyoncé ‘could actually be a hairstylist’ because she grew up watching her mother work at the salon.
Knowles said: ‘She’s on a stage with hot lights and she wears wigs, and she’s managed to keep her hair beautiful and healthy – and that’s not an easy task when you’re in showbiz.’
Meghan replied: ‘That is a testament. I mean, even on Suits, I was on Suits for seven years, and I remember so many other actresses, especially if you’re in that grind, they said: ‘You are going to fry your hair’.
‘Everyone was recommending that I should start wearing wigs. I never ended up doing it. By the way, if I was in that industry longer, I understand why you need to protect your hair.’
Speaking about working with Beyoncé, Knowles said: ‘You know you have disagreements, and you have to – I’m the one to always cave. If my kids are mad at me, I can’t take it. I’ll cave. If we have a disagreement, it’s her business, so she gets the win.’
While discussing launching a brand, the Duchess turned to what happened when As Ever sold out of its first batch of products, which included flower sprinkles and herbal tea.
‘For me at the moment with As ever, it was…great, we plan, we planned for a year, and then everything sells out in 45 minutes – which yes, amazing. Great news,.
Knowles said: ‘But then what do you do then?’ Meghan added: ‘And then you say, ‘Okay, we planned as best as we could. Are we going to replenish and sell out again in an hour? Or is that annoying as a customer?’
‘I’m looking at it saying, ‘Just pause. That happened. Let’s wait until we are completely stable and we have everything we need.”
Speaking about selling out, Meghan said: ‘That scarcity mentality at the beginning might be a hook for people, not dissimilar a sneaker drop.
‘But when you’re talking about products… I don’t want you to eat that jam once every six months. I want it that to be on your shelf all the time.’
Meghan and Prince Harry meet Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z in London on July 14, 2019 at the premiere of Disney’s remake of The Lion King, in which the singer voiced Nala
Beyoncé greeted Meghan with a long embrace in London in July 2019 and told her ‘Hi, my princess’ – a reference to the singer’s Brit Awards acceptance video in February that year which included a spoof painting of Meghan dressed as a princess in a tiara and pearls
Meghan added that the public can ‘see all the flashy stuff and they see the product. But that end game… those behind the scenes moments, how many tears I’ve shed.’
And the Duchess spoke about how she has considered going into business with her daughter Princess Lilibet in future, saying: ‘I wonder if one day I’ll be in business with Lili and we’ll be building something.’ Knowles added: ‘Yeah, that’s the best.’
The final episode of Meghan’s eight-part podcast was released on May 29, in which she spoke to Sara Blakely, founder of shapewear clothing company Spanx.
But Lemonada then revealed on May 29 that a bonus episode would be released.
The firm said in a social media post: ‘We had just wrapped Confessions of a Female Founder and packed up the mics – until a call came in that we couldn’t ignore.
‘On the line was one of the most influential and inspiring matriarchs in culture today. Naturally, we hit record.’
Meghan also said: ‘Next week, we’ve got one more very special interview for you. A bonus episode. Because when a matriarch calls, and when this matriarch calls, oh, you answer. This one is so special, y’all.’
The final phrase was viewed as a nod towards Knowles’s Texas roots and Beyoncé’s tour name of Cowboy Carter.
And the reference to ‘matriarch’ was also seen as a wink towards Knowles’s recent memoir of the same name, which came out on April 22.
Tina Knowles has recently been promoting her new book ‘Matriarch’ and is pictured above on May 19 speaking about it with Gayle King at Brooklyn Paramount in New York on May 19
Meghan initially released eight episodes of her Confessions Of A Female Founder podcast
While Lemonada did not reveal the name of the guest in advance, fans quickly recognised the voice and identified it as Knowles.
Speaking to Marie Claire about the final episode, Meghan said in a statement published today that it was the ‘perfect end to a very special podcast’.
She added: ‘As I grow my own business, As Ever, I spoke to women who had turned their own entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
‘Ms Tina’s conversation fulfils the promise of the podcast, offering extraordinary advice, and sharing insights about being a working mom, building something special, and remaining true to herself through every twist and turn.
‘This episode proves to be a powerful toolkit of truths that I will apply to my own life as I, too, grow my business, care for my family, and look forward to new adventures.’
In January, Knowles revealed her Malibu bungalow was destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires, writing: ‘It was my favourite place, my sanctuary, my sacred happy place.’
Beyoncé, who rose to fame with Destiny’s Child, married Jay Z in 2008. They had their first child, daughter Blue Ivy, in 2012 – and then twins Rumi and Sir in 2017.
‘Confessions of a Female Founder with Meghan’ is available via Lemonada Media
