Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to leave the royal family came as a surprise to many, but the writing was on the wall long before they announced they were stepping down.
In fact, it’s possible to pinpoint the exact moment that everything changed for the couple. Back in 2019, Meghan spoke to Tom Bradby during the couple’s royal visit to South Africa.
The ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey followed the newlyweds’ tour of part of the continent – but it stunned viewers when Meghan spoke openly about her unhappiness.
The Duchess revealed she had struggled privately to cope through pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood amid the pressures of press interest in her public life as a member of the Royal Family.
In an emotional admission to Tom, she said the glare of the intense spotlight – and with it incessant and sometimes negative press coverage – had made things harder at a time when she was already “really vulnerable”.
She said: “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 new born – you know… And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed…
When the presenter asked her: “And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK, as in it’s really been a struggle?”, to which the Duchess replied, “Yes”.
Multiple sources confirmed that the Palace – and members of the royal family – were stunned by her remarks. And Meghan herself later expressed her surprise at the reaction to the interview.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared on the Teenager Therapy podcast to mark World Mental Health Day in October 2020, during which Meghan spoke about her comments.
She told the teens she was breastfeeding baby son Archie at the time: “Man, I was tired. I was just about to give Archie a bath…I was exhausted…Between every official engagement I was running back to make sure our son was fed,” she said.