Meghan Markle felt “unprotected” by the monarchy while suffering “tremendous emotional distress” and mental health problems during her pregnancy with baby Archie, according to new court papers.
Markle, 38, says her plight was ignored while she was the victim of “false” media reports while carrying Prince Harry’s son — and her then-new royal role meant she was “prohibited from defending herself,” the documents say, according to the BBC.
The damning claims are part of the Duchess of Sussex’s lawsuit against the publisher of The Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail and MailOnline, the media outlets she claims were the worst offenders.
“The Claimant had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the Defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health,” the papers say, according to the BBC.
Her suffering explains why her friends stepped forward to defend her in other articles, the papers say.
“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.”
The 38-year-old former “Suits” star is suing Associated Newspapers for breach of privacy and copyright infringement for printing a letter from her estranged dad in 2018.
Markle is seeking damages — which she has said would be donated to an anti-bullying charity — from the publisher, according to the BBC.
The publisher denies Markle’s claims and said it will contest the case.
Following a preliminary hearing in London in May, a judge struck out parts of Markle’s claim against Associated Newspapers, including allegations that it acted “dishonestly” by leaving out certain parts when publishing a letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle.
The judge also dismissed accusations that the publisher deliberately “stirred up” issues between Markle and her dad, and that it had an “agenda” in publishing offensive articles about her, according to the BBC.
Harry and Markle married in May 2018, and she gave birth to Archie in May 2019.
The couple stunned his family and the world earlier this year when they announced that they were abandoning their roles as “senior” royals.