CULTURE

Meghan Markle Admits Public Life Has Been a Struggle in New Documentary

Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, airs October 23 on ABC.

Oct. 18, 2019

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Johannesburg - Day Two

Pool/Samir Hussein

If you’ve been following the headlines coming out of the House of Sussex as of late, you’ll know that Meghan Markle has been having a tough go as of late. The Duchess of Sussex admitted as much in the new documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey. In a new clip released by ITV, Markle opens up about how pregnancy and ensuing motherhood has made her life challenging.

“Look, any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable. And so that was made really challenging, and then, when you have a newborn, you know?” Everyone knows how ruthless the UK tabloids can be, which has felt especially true as of late—so much so, that Meghan and Harry have been forced to take legal action.

“Especially as a woman it’s really — it’s a lot,” Markle goes on to explain in the documentary. “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or just trying to be a newlywed. And also thank you for asking, because not many people will have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”When host Tom Bradby asks Markle if she’s “not really okay,” and if being thrust into the public eye has been a “struggle,” Markle responds, “yes.”

Of course, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for Markle. The Duchess just completed what by all accounts was a fulfilling trip to Southern Africa, where she bonded with locals and spoke about her connection to that part of the world. “And just on one personal note, may I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I want you to know that for me I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister,” she told the crowd in the Nyanga township in South Africa. “I am here with you and I am here for you and I thank you so much for showing my husband and I the spirit of Ubuntu and I look forward to our time over the next few days together.”

Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, airs Wednesday (October 23) at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.