Duchess Meghan describes ‘really challenging’ life as a new Royal

Duchess Meghan is opening up about the struggles of being a new royal and a new mother, revealing in the new documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey that her life has been “really challenging” lately.

For starters, the 38-year-old discussed the backlash she and her husband, Prince Harry, received after keeping aspects of the birth of their son, Archie, 5 months, private.

“Look, any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable,” she told ITV News at Ten’s Tom Bradby in the documentary, in a clip Good Morning America aired on Friday, October 18. “And so that was made really challenging, and then, when you have a newborn, you know?”

“Especially as a woman, it’s really … it’s a lot,” she added. “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed … 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.”

When Bradby asked if it would be fair to say that she’s not really OK and that’s it has really been a struggle, Meghan said, “Yes.”

Harry, 35, and Meghan recently decided to take legal action against the British media, but it wasn’t “about one negative story or incident,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month.

“It’s an accumulation, and Harry refuses to sit and do nothing as the British press scrutinizes Meghan and invades her privacy,” the source added. “Meghan comes across as a strong woman, but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her.”

Harry is also ”worried that the recent escalation of press intrusion has an impact on his relationship with Meghan, as well as their relationship with the royal family and the public,” the source explained.

On October 1, the Duke of Sussex defended his wife of nearly a year and a half against the “bullying” she has received since they started dating in 2016.

“I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in,” he wrote in a public statement at the time. “There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour because it destroys people and destroys lives. Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.”

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton also spoke out in support of the former Suits star this month. “I do want to say that the way she’s been treated is inexplicable,” Hillary, 71, told The Sunday Times in an interview published on Sunday, October 13. “If the explanation is that she’s biracial, then shame on everybody.”

In the same interview, Chelsea, 39, offered her take on Meghan’s treatment. “I also think it’s because she proudly had a career first and has a voice that she thankfully continues to use,” the former first daughter said. “Anyone who has the temerity to break the mold of what has previously been established and expected often, unfortunately, receives criticism and bile that I don’t understand.”

Harry & Meghan: An African Journey airs on ABC Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10 p.m.