An Emotional Meghan Markle Admits She Is Struggling Behind The Scenes

Meghan Markle, fresh off the heels of her 10-day Africa trip, revealed that motherhood has been a struggle for her, and that few people have actually taken the time to ask her if she’s OK, ITV News reports.

The Duchess of Sussex has “put on a brave face,” as is the job of British royals, but behind the scenes, things have been difficult for her, she admits.

The past few years have been full of challenges for the American actress. She fell in love with, and married, a European royal, and in the process, took on all the duties of royal life. At first, the British public loved her, but the post-honeymoon period with her subjects has seen her dogged by accusations of profligate spending, and her demands for privacy haven’t gone over well, either.

On top of that, there was the very public drama with her father’s side of the family back in the States — drama that reared its ugly head in the form of a letter she wrote to her father being published in the local media.

Having a baby and becoming a mom has been a bright spot for the duchess, but as it is with almost all new moms, motherhood has been a struggle for Meghan, she admits.

“As so many of you can relate to — I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been,” she said.

She also noted that, on top of all the struggles she’s been going through, she’s found little actual support.

“So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed. It’s um…yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes,” she said.

Interviewer Tom Bradby asked her to confirm whether or not she was saying that she’s actually not OK, and if it’s been a struggle, and Meghan responded, “Yes.”

It’s not just Meghan who is dealing with personal struggles; her husband, Prince Harry, recently admitted that the grief over the death of his mother, Princess Diana, is a wound that “still festers.” What’s more, he’s seeing some same patterns that, by some measures, played a role in his mother’s death repeating with his wife. Which is to say, the constant media attention and the pressures that come with being a Windsor — it all “reminded of the bad stuff, unfortunately,” he says.