Meghan Markle Felt ‘Unprotected’ by the Royal Family During Her ‘Emotional’ Pregnancy

On her own. Meghan Markle felt “unprotected” by royals during her pregnancy with Prince Harry’s baby, according to court documented obtained by E! News. In the documents, the former Duchess of Sussex’s lawyers claimed that Meghan and her friends felt “silenced” by the British royal family when the Mail on Sunday and other publications went after her during her pregnancy in 2019.

“[Meghan Markle] had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the U.K. tabloid media, specifically by the [Mail on Sunday], which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health,” the documents read. “As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution and prohibited from defending herself.”

Meghan filed a lawsuit against The Mail on Sunday, as well as its publishing company, Associated Newspapers Unlimited, in October 2019 after the tabloid published excerpts of a private conversation between the Suits alum and her estranged father, Thomas Markle. “The case centers on a private and hand-written letter from a daughter to her father that was published by The Mail on Sunday. This gross violation of any person’s right to privacy is obvious and unlawful,” a source close to Meghan and Harry told Entertainment Tonight.

Per the recent court documents, Meghan’s lawyers also claimed that the the British royal family was told to not speak about Meghan or her family when asked about her by the tabloids. “It was mandated by the [Kensington Palace Communications Team] that all friends and family of [Meghan] should say ‘no comment’ when approached by any media outlet, despite misinformation being provided to U.K. tabloids about [her],” the documents read.

Source: Instagram

The documents continued, “This shared frustration amongst [her] friends left everyone feeling silenced, as it appeared that other so-called sources were able to disseminate false statements. While the people who knew her best were told that they needed to remain silent.”

The documents also reference Meghan’s friends, who spoke to People anonymously to defend her from the U.K. tabloids’ claims about her and her father. While Meghan and Harry knew about the People article the day it was published, it wasn’t until a “considerable time later” that the former Duchess knew which of her friends spoke about her in the press.

Meghan’s lawyers claims that it was Kensington Palace’s refusal to defend Meghan from the press that led her friends to take matters into their own hands. “It is probably because of this reason, as well as concerns about the press intrusion by the U.K. tabloids, that a few friends chose to participate, and they did so anonymously,” the documents read.

Meghan’s legal drama with the tabloids come after she and Prince Harry announced their decision to step down from the royal family in January. The couple first moved to Canada before relocating to Los Angeles.

Source: Instagram

“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” the couple wrote in a statement on their Instagram. “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.”