Meghan Markle Explains Why She Said She Was "Not Okay" While Breastfeeding Archie on Royal Tour

"I didn’t think about that answer. I just answered honestly."

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
(Image credit: Getty)

  • One of the most explosive moments during Meghan Markle's tenure as a working royal came in an interview she gave during her royal tour of Africa.
  • In the interview, ITV journalist Tom Bradby asked her how she was doing and Meghan candidly answered that she was "not okay."
  • During a new interview for the Teenager Therapy podcast, Meghan clarified the comment, explaining that she was exhausted juggling official engagements and breastfeeding her then-four-month-old son, Archie Harrison.

Meghan Markle is speaking out about why she didn't feel okay during her royal tour of Africa with Prince Harry and their then-four-month-old son, Archie Harrison in 2019.

The Duchess of Sussex recently sat down for a joint interview with her husband, Prince Harry, for the Teenager Therapy podcast. The Sussexes appeared on the podcast, which is hosted by five high school seniors in Anaheim, California, to bring attention to World Mental Health Day. In keeping with the theme of the interview, Meghan opened up about how her tumultuous time in the royal family has impacted her mental health.

In one particularly candid moment, Meghan addressed a bombshell comment she made during an interview with ITV journalist Tom Bradby at the time. During the interview, which took place while she and Harry were in South Africa as part of their royal tour, Bradby asked Meghan how she was doing and the Duchess shocked royal fans by honestly answering that she wasn't okay.

"I was tired," Meghan said of the interview (per People). "I was just about to give Archie a bath. I was exhausted."

At this point, Harry chimed in to add some context to the moment.

"She was still breastfeeding at the time," he added, prompting Meghan to explain that, during the tour, she was running back to Archie in between every official engagement to breastfeed.

"I didn’t think about that answer. I just answered honestly," Meghan explained on the podcast. "I was in a moment of vulnerability, because I was tired, because there was no presentation. It was just, here’s where I am: I’m a mom with a four-and-a-half month-old baby and we are tired. But I think the reason it resonated with people is because everyone wants to be asked if they’re okay."

Here's the good news though: Meghan's answer to that question has definitely changed for the better in the time since her and Harry's royal exit.

"A year later I would say yes, I am doing well," she said.

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Kayleigh Roberts
Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. 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.