It comes as little surprise that Meghan Markle has been struggling through relentless public scrutiny ever since she started dating Britain’s Prince Harry.

What is surprising, however, is how candidly the 38-year-old addressed it in a recent interview. For the first time, the American former actress spoke out about the behind-the-scenes challenges confronting her as a royal, a newlywed and a new mom — and it happened after a reporter simply asked her how she was doing.

Spoiler alert: She’s not OK.

The revelation came in “Harry and Meghan: An African Journey,” an upcoming documentary special chronicling the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s recent trip to Africa. Britain’s ITV News anchor Tom Bradby was along for the family voyage and performed the welfare check on the “Suits” star amid severe criticism that has led the couple to take legal action.


“Look, any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, is really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging. And when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot,” the duchess said, appearing to be on the verge of tears, in a clip that aired on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Friday.

.@ABC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Duchess Meghan describes “really challenging” time as a new royal and mom in spotlight. @ABonTV has more. https://t.co/3G66colRU6 pic.twitter.com/K5kZI94QrP — Good Morning America (@GMA) October 18, 2019

The Los Angeles-born actress quit her career to wed the popular royal in May 2018. They welcomed their son, Archie, about a year later, but not without being analyzed every step of the way, from home renovations, hair and wardrobe to private flights.


Famous friends including Elton John (a friend of Harry’s late mother, Diana), TV host Ellen DeGeneres and actress Jameela Jamil have advocated for the couple amid the intense scrutiny that some believe is fueled by the duchess’s mixed-race heritage.

Addressing that criticism, Markle continued with Bradby: “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed. I guess — and also 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.”

“And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK,” Bradby asked, adding, “It’s really been a struggle?” To which Markle replied, “Yes.”


“Harry and Meghan: An African Journey” will air Oct. 23 on ABC.