For the first time, Meghan Markle is speaking publicly about the struggles she faced in joining the Royal Family, getting married and having her first child, Archie.
In a one-on-one interview with ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby — a rarity for members of the Royal Family — Markle discussed her “challenging” pregnancy.
“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging,” she said.
Bradby also asked the duchess how she was doing after experiencing these life-changing events.
“Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes,” Markle said.
READ MORE: Prince Harry vows to ‘challenge injustice’ day after announcing tabloid lawsuit
“And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK?” Bradby asks at the end of the clip.
Markle responds: “Yes.”
The Duchess of Sussex’s candid response is featured in the upcoming ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which follows the couple and their son on their first royal tour as a family.
The documentary, set to air on Sunday at 9 p.m. BST, explores the Sussexes’ philanthropic work and the struggles and pressures they face not only as royals but as a new family.
Get daily National news
In late September and early October, the duke and duchess spent 10 days travelling around Africa with their four-month-old son.
During their trip, Prince Harry and Markle spent time visiting local grassroots organizations that focused on mental health, women’s empowerment and environmental conservation.
“Oh my goodness, it’s the most inspiring,” Markle says in the ITV trailer. “We just got here, and to see everything that they’re doing … it’s not just the girls that are feeling empowered, it’s also the role of the men and the young boys who are also helping them.”
Since they were first seen together in 2016, the couple has been in the public eye — and not always favourably, as Markle has been the subject of tabloid attacks.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry file lawsuit against U.K. tabloid
But on the second-last day of their tour, Prince Harry and Markle took a stance against such tabloids, announcing they had filed a lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated Newspapers.
In an official statement published to the Sussexes’ website, Prince Harry wrote of the media scrutiny Meghan has faced.
“Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences — a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son,” the statement reads.
“Up to now, we have been unable to correct the continual misrepresentations — something that these select media outlets have been aware of and have therefore exploited on a daily and sometimes hourly basis.”
—