Amid a racist, unrelenting media storm, Meghan Markle has seen every aspect of her life, including her relationship with Prince Harry, subject to brutal scrutiny. But in the new documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which aired on ITV in the UK on Sunday, Meghan revealed how she wished the couple could be perceived: As two people who love each other.
"I would hope that people, the world, will get to the point where they just see us as a couple who’s in love, because I don’t wake up every day and identify as being anything other than who I’ve always been," she said, as People reports. "It’s just, I’m Meghan and I’ve married this incredible man, and this to me is just part of our love story."
The documentary, which followed the couple on their tour of southern Africa, allowed the Duchess of Sussex to speak directly about the impact of media abuse on her life. "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, and especially as a woman, it’s a lot," she told host Tom Bradby after he asked if she was okay, in a clip that went viral on social media.
"So, you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed, it’s …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," Meghan said.
The Duchess also discussed her attempts to hide her feelings while coping with constant attacks and invasions into her private life, saying, "I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a 'stiff upper lip.' I really tried, but I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging."
"I have said for a long time to H, that’s what I call him, 'It’s not enough to just survive something,'" she said. "'That’s not the point of life. You have got to thrive. You have got to feel happy.'"
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