Meghan Markle’s favourite music tracks revealed as we uncover her ‘positive vibes’ picks from her blog The Tig – as King Charles releases his Apple Music playlist

King Charles released a playlist in collaboration with Apple Music to mark Commonwealth Day this week.

Becoming the first British monarch in history to record their own podcast, in which he shared the tunes, Charles, 76, nominated 17 of his favourite songs from across the Commonwealth.

Crossing continents and genres, The King’s Music Room includes legendary artists Bob Marley, Diana Ross and Kylie Minogue alongside contemporary talent such as Raye. But the King is not the first royal to give fans an insight into their music taste.

In episode five of her brand new Netflix show With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, visited a floral shop near her Montecito mansion and shared the songs she listens to while flower arranging – a hobby she finds ‘really calming and meditative’.

‘I listen to a lot of 70s soft rock,’ Meghan said. ‘A lot of yacht rock and a lot of soul. And French dinner party music.’

But Meghan is also a fan of fast-paced songs. Indeed, her first dance with Prince Harry during their private wedding reception at Frogmore House was to Wilson Pickett’s 1966 hit Land Of 1000 Dances.

‘That was our first dance,’ the Duchess revealed in their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan. ‘It was so fun. Just spinning like a whirlwind.’

Sharing her upbeat music taste in more detail on her now-defunct lifestyle blog The Tig in 2017, Meghan posted a Positive Vibes playlist which she described as a ‘fresh dose of unbridled joy’.

King Charles released a playlist in collaboration with Apple Music to mark Commonwealth Day

In With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex reveals her music taste involves ‘yacht rock’, ‘soul’ and ‘French dinner party’

‘Turn these tracks on as you’re getting ready in the morning, when you need a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or during your next evening celebration,’ she wrote.

‘Because when the air is filled with positive vibes, there’s no winter cold that can block out the warmth of happy hearts.’

Although Meghan is practically the same age as her sister-in-law Princess Catherine, it seems their taste in music could not be more different.

The Princess of Wales is known to be a fan of the cheesy pop songs written by Abba, as well as hits from the musical Grease.

For their first dance as newlyweds, Prince William and Kate Middleton enjoyed a live performance of Elton John’s Your Song by Ellie Goulding.

‘They stood holding hands in the middle of the dance floor, grinning,’  royal biographer Robert Jobson wrote in his book Catherine, The Princess of Wales. 

‘Then, suddenly, the opening bars of the song You’re The One That I Want, from the musical Grease, came booming out. 

‘William and Catherine then began dancing around, pointing at each other, and mouthing the words with the style of the lead characters Danny and Sandy. It brought the house down.’

The eight-part series With Love, Meghan follows the Duchess as she cooks with a series of special guests 

In episode five, Meghan reveals the songs she enjoys listening to while flower arranging

‘I listen to a lot of 70s soft rock,’ Meghan [pictured on her new show with Heather Dorak, Prince Harry, Genevieve Hillis, Julian Zajfen and Kelly Zajfen] said. ‘A lot of yacht rock and a lot of soul. And French dinner party music’. 

Meanwhile, Meghan’s playlist is comprised of lesser-known indie artists.

At the top of her feel-good playlist is none other than Dog Years by rising indie pop star Maggie Rogers.

Rogers was discovered in 2016 by Happy singer Pharrell Williams and has gone on to play Glastonbury and open for various artists including Coldplay.

Originally from Maryland, she wrote the song Dog Years about graduating from college and feeling like you are ‘free-falling’.

Next, Meghan picked out the song LA Calling by Crystal Fighters. The English-Spanish electronic band formed in London in 2007, and fuse progressive dance music with traditional Basque folk.

Crystal Fighters, which is made up of five musicians, describe their style as ‘fast, mesmeric and passionate’ – making them a perfect fit for Meghan’s Positive Vibes playlist.

The band sing: ‘We’ll be singing this song when you’re out. Everything will be better when you come out… High all morning, ride all night. LA calling, bathed in sunlight.’

For their first dance, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle played Wilson Pickett’s 1966 hit Land Of 1000 Dances

Harry and Meghan dance during their royal tour of South Africa on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town

Meghan has always been a fan of upbeat music, as evidenced during her dance in Nyanga township, Cape Town, in 2019

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex seen dancing while visiting Cali in Colombia last year

Continuing with her upbeat selection, Meghan picked Don’t Run from Norwegian singer Mr Little Jeans, whose real name is Monica Linn Birkenes.

This track was used for the trailer of the Marvel TV show Runaways.

Sunshine by Flight Facilities, featuring Reggie Watts, is Meghan’s next pick.

Released in 2014, the Australian electronic music duo’s debut album Down To Earth features prominent names such as Kylie Minogue and Watts, a comedian and musician who made regular appearances on The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

Janelle Monae’s Dance Apocalyptic is next up on Meghan’s playlist.

The award-winning American singer, who has racked up 10 Grammy Award nominations, fuses hip-hop, rock, Motown, new wave and dance-pop to create the high-tempo track.

It has been praised as an ‘infectious rave-up’ and ‘the soundtrack to endless summer cookouts’.

And, last but not least, the playlist is rounded off with Let It Go from Dragonette’s album Bodyparts, which was released in 2012. 

Meghan started her lifestyle blog The Tig in 2014 when she was filming legal drama Suits

It is believed Meghan shut down her blog The Tig in order to marry Prince Harry, with the couple pictured after announcing their engagement in 2017

‘Talk about a song that makes us want to get our groove on,’ Meghan wrote on her blog. ‘This fun track is simply perfect for singing along and dancing in the living room like no one’s watching.’

A few months after unveiling her Positive Vibes playlist, Meghan shut down The Tig, three years after it launched.

She reportedly did so to minimise the level of media scrutiny she would receive ahead of her fairytale wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

In her final post on the site, Meghan wrote: ‘What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity.

‘Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being “the change you wish to see in the world”.’

Reflecting on her decision to close her lifestyle blog, Meghan recently told People Magazine: ‘Well, I loved The Tig, but I certainly love my husband more. So that was a choice I made at the time, and I wouldn’t change that for a second.’

Of her new show – which takes inspiration from the lifestyle blog – she added: ‘My husband met me when I had The Tig, and I see this spark in his eye when he sees me doing the thing that I was doing when he first met me.’