
- After their royal exit this spring, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) moved across the Atlantic to settle down in Los Angeles.
- The move came after a mounting list of issues and hardships Meghan in particular has faced since joining the royal family in 2018, but relocating may not have helped as much as the Sussexes expected, especially as their legal battle against British tabloids has heated up in recent weeks.
- A relative of Meghan's told The Mirror (opens in new tab) that the duchess has "gone very quiet" recently and seems to be struggling amidst her move back to California.
Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) has been through a lot in the last few years, and, in spite of the Sussexes' move to California (opens in new tab), her royal issues appear to still be wearing on her.
Earlier this year, Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry (opens in new tab), shocked the world when they announced their intention to step back from working royal life. The decision was motivated, in large part, by the couple's desire for increased privacy.
As part of their continued battle for privacy, the Sussexes filed suit against Associated Newspapers (opens in new tab), the publishers of Mail Online and the Mail on Sunday, after they published parts of a letter Meghan wrote to her father, Thomas Markle (opens in new tab), around the time of her royal wedding (opens in new tab). Recent revelations made in court documents (opens in new tab) in the case have apparently compounded the stress Meghan has felt since going under the royal microscope and the duchess is reportedly struggling more than ever.
"She has gone very quiet. I think she is likely to be feeling extremely low and probably struggling," a relative of Meghan's told the Sunday Mirror (opens in new tab). "The legal battle and the increased tension it’s created with the royals due to the information that’s coming out has to be putting a lot of strain on them both."
The relative, who requested anonymity, also weighed in on Harry's reported issues (opens in new tab) with the rest of the royal family.
"Meghan’s been a lot more distant and introverted over the last few weeks–her family is worried. And Harry must be tormented by his fractured family ties," the relative explained. "He was particularly down on William’s birthday on June 21."
In addition to dealing with the privacy case against British tabloids, Meghan has had another very stressful (opens in new tab) and very public issue to contend with in recent weeks. In June, Meghan's longtime friend, Jessica Mulroney, was at the center of a scandal (opens in new tab) after she displayed "textbook white privilege" during a disagreement with Sasha Exeter, a Black influencer. Meghan has reportedly distanced herself from Mulroney (opens in new tab) since the incident.
"Meghan’s fallout with Jessica has hit her really hard and she’s not even been speaking to some of her closest friends," Meghan's relative said. "She’s shut down—and they think she’s at a loss over who to even trust any longer."
We can only hope that, once her case is over, Meghan can find some well-deserved peace of mind.
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Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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