Meghan Markle Says One Aspect of Royal Life Left Her "Clinging Very Closely" to Prince Harry During Prince Archie Pregnancy

The duchess recalled thinking, "please don’t let me fall."

Meghan Markle wearing a white hat and coat holding hands with Prince Harry at Westminster abbey
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Being pregnant is difficult enough, but carrying out your motherhood journey in the public eye is another story. On Tuesday, May 27, Meghan Markle looked back on her first pregnancy in the final episode of her new podcast, "Confessions of a Female Founder." The Duchess of Sussex spoke with Spanx founder Sara Blakely on the Lemonada Media show, recalling how being a senior member of the Royal Family came with some uncomfortable footwear.

Blakely recently launched a sneaker/heel hybrid called Sneex, and Meghan recalled what it was like wearing stilettos while pregnant with Prince Archie. The duchess, who was still living in the U.K. and serving as a working royal with Prince Harry, often made appearances in towering pumps during her pregnancy, which spanned from late 2018 to May 2019.

"A friend just said to me the other day, they were like, ‘I just saw this picture I’d forgotten about when you were so pregnant with Archie,'" Meghan said, revealing she "gained 65 pounds" both times she was pregnant.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry holding hands walking down stairs

Meghan is pictured with Prince Harry in March 2019 while pregnant with Prince Archie.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Meghan Markle wearing a white coat and hat walking with Prince Harry at Westminster abbey

The Duchess of Sussex admitted that she'd hold Prince Harry "very closely" so she didn't "fall."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"I always wear my five-inch, pointy-toed stilettos," she continued, adding her friend exclaimed, "'You have the most enormous bump and your tiny little ankles are bracing themselves in these high heels.'"

"But all of my weight was in the front," the duchess said. "So you’re just going, how on earth am I not just tipping, you know, face planting? I was clinging very closely to my husband, like, 'Please don’t let me fall.'"

While Prince Archie, now six, was born while the couple lived in Windsor and was presented to the media in an official photo call (heels included), Meghan could move through pregnancy more casually when she gave birth to 3-year-old Princess Lilibet in Santa Barbara, California.

Meghan still wears her signature heels these days, but mixes things up with casual moments at home. The Duchess of Sussex shared a sweet moment with Lilibet in an Instagram Reel on Tuesday as they donned matching beekeeper suits and gathered honey in their backyard—no formalwear required.

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.