Meghan Markle was interviewed on last night’s ITV documentary, which was conducted during her tour of Africa with Prince Harry.
He is a transcript of what was said, as she opens up about her struggles with the media and the public scrutiny she now faces:
Tom Bradby: ‘This has been quite a journey really, one way or another. Up in the bush I did talk to Harry about the pressure you’re under. Its clear, and its clear from last night’s statement the pressure you’re under. You’ve talked about the pain behind the brave face. I don’t think a lot of people really understand what that is, so perhaps you could give us an idea of what the last year has been like?
Meghan: ‘It’s hard. I don’t think anybody can understand that. In all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand, but when I first met Harry, my friends were so excited, my US friends were happy because I was happy. But my British friends, they were sure he was lovely, but they said I shouldn’t do it because ‘the British tabloids will destroy your life.’ Because I’m American I very naively didn’t get it. I’m not in any tabloids. It’s complicated.’
Bradby: ‘I talked to him up in the bush about mental health and the impact on his mental and physical health and he is obviously very concerned about protecting you and protecting you from what his mother went through. This is obviously an area one has to tiptoe into very gently, but I don’t know what the impact on your physical and mental health and all the pressure that you clearly feel under.
Meghan: 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 it’s, well…’ ‘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.’
Bradby: ‘And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK, as in it’s really been a struggle?’
Meghan: ‘Yes.’
Bradby: ‘Look, the pressure you are under is pretty obvious, its been obvious to me in a growing sense throughout this tour and before it started I kind of knew some of the picture but not all of it, so can you put up with this? Can you deal with it, can you manage it, can you handle it and what happens if you can’t?
Meghan: ‘I’ve said for a long time to H – that’s what I call him – it is not enough to just survive something. That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive and feel happy. ‘I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip.
Bradby: It has its advantages I guess.
Meghan: I tried, I really tried. But I think what that does internally is probably really damaging. I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair and that’s the part that’s really hard to reconcile. I take each day as it comes.
Bradby: The counter argument is that you have this power, this privilege, you have this fame, this wealth, and that comes with scrutiny. Sometimes its good, sometimes its bad. How do you counter that argument?
Meghan: Things are fair. That completely tracks with me if things are fair. I’m the first one to go, ‘oh my gosh I’m so sorry I would never do that.’ When people are saying things that are just untrue and they have been told they are untrue but they are allowed to still say them, I don’t know anybody in the world that would feel like that’s ok. And that’s different to just scrutiny. What would you call that?
Bradby: I don’t know..
Meghan: It’s really a different beast. You know? I think the grass is always greener. You have no idea. Its really hard to understand what its like. I know what is seems like it should be. Its a very different thing. The good thing is I’ve got my baby and I’ve got my husband, and they’re the best.