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"Not many people have asked if I'm OK." Meghan Markle admits she's struggling behind the scenes.

 

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Since marrying Prince Harry last year, Meghan Markle’s every move has been heavily scrutinised by the media.

The media attention only worsened since the Duchess of Sussex gave birth to Archie in May, leaving Markle to endure negative criticism while dealing with the vulnerabilities that come with being a first time mum.

Watch: Baby Archie meets Desmond Tutu during Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s South African tour. Post continues after video. 

In a raw and honest interview for an ITV documentary, Meghan addressed the intense media focus on her life and admitted for the first time that she’s struggling to cope behind the scenes.

“Look, any woman – especially when they are pregnant – you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn – you know?” she told reporter Tom Bradby as she held back tears.

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“And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mum or trying to be a newlywed it’s, well…” she said.

After months of negative media attention, Markle thanked Bradby for asking her the simple question: Are you OK?

“Not many people have asked if I’m OK. It’s a very real thing to be going on behind the scenes,” she said.

“Would it be fair to say, ‘Not really OK?’ As in it’s been a struggle?” asked Bradby.

“Yes,” Markle nodded.

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The interview was filmed as part of the new ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which follows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their recent 10-day tour of Africa.

During the tour, Prince Harry spoke out against the “relentless” media campaign against his wife, after the Mail on Sunday newspaper published a private letter Markle wrote to her father. Markle has since filed a claim against the publication.

“There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been,” Prince Harry said in a statement.

“Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person.

“I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”


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