Sisters-in-law Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton were asked similar personal questions about their struggles after having babies while being working royal family members — and they found very different ways to give the same heartbreaking answer.
One vocalized her answer while the other gave a look — but both women agreed that it was exhausting.
After their pregnancies, the wives of Prince Harry and Prince William ran around, smiling and looking perfectly made up to take part in public engagements while their bodies healed.
Like millions of women who had recently birthed another human being, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle were most likely struggling with breastfeeding, bedtime rituals, enduring sleepless nights, high levels of stress, and more.
The world got a glimpse of what Kate Middleton was going through, thanks to actor Rami Malek. During a recent interview, he revealed that he had a private conversation with the Duchess of Cambridge in 2019, just months after she gave birth to Prince Louis of Cambridge.
Malek explained that Kate Middleton was “taken aback” when he asked her if she felt exhausted being a working senior member of the royal family while caring for an infant.
The Oscar winner said: “I just looked at Princess Kate at one point, and I said, ‘This must be exhausting.’ And she said, ‘Why?’ [I asked,] ‘You just had a baby, right?’ I think she was taken aback.”
He went on to share: “[Kate] said, ‘How are you doing?’ [I’m like,] ‘No, how are you?’ And in the most regal, elegant way, she gave me a look. But you can tell. Imagine, you’re dressed to the nines, have to talk to all these actors.”
Kate Middleton, without any words, made it clear that she had a lot on her plate. Malek continued: “They’re so careful. But it was so cool. I think I caught her off guard for a second. And, you know, had that look of—in the most elegant, professional, royal way—’Yes, it’s a lot, having a kid.'”
A few months after Meghan Markle welcomed her son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, into the world, she took part in an interview with journalist Tom Bradby who asked her about the scrutiny she endured during the pregnancy.
The reporter asked: “Harry is obviously very concerned about protecting you from what he felt his mother went through. It’s obviously an issue one has to tiptoe into very gently … I don’t know what the impact on your mental and physical health (is), all the pressure you feel?”
Like Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle said that being a new mother was “a lot” to deal with.
The former actress stated: “I would say … 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.”
This is devastating to watch. The relentless media scrutiny Meghan Markle is placed under simply for existing as a woman with Black heritage. https://t.co/aMDS1syR3W
— Sister Outrider (@ClaireShrugged) October 18, 2019
She continued by saying: “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mum or trying to be a newlywed. It’s um… yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
The reporter swooped in to ask: “And the answer is — would it be fair to say ‘Not really OK’? It’s really been a struggle?” A sad and tired Meghan Markle responded with a quiet: “Yes.”
Both Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have strongly advocated for a real focus on mental health in different ways.
During the pandemic, the women reached out to those dealing with issues via Zoom calls, interviews, donations, charitable works, and books.
