Meghan Markle said life as a royal 'isn't easy'

From Cosmopolitan

It might look like Meghan Markle has it all - a literal prince for a husband, an adorable baby, a huge house and a career that allows her to promote causes she truly cares about - but for the Duchess of Sussex, the smooth also comes with the rough. And quite a lot of it.

Ever since speculation began that Meghan Markle was dating Prince Harry, there's been a permanent intrusion on her life. Being an official member of the royal family, that's to be expected to some extent, but it doesn't mean the Duchess finds the world's constant opinions about her life and her choices painless.

Meghan appeared to open up about all this in a recent conversation with Pharrell at The Lion King premiere on Sunday night. The exchange was caught on camera, as Pharrell expressed how significant Meghan and Harry's biracial marriage has been.

"So happy for your union. Love is amazing. It’s wonderful," Pharrell told the Sussexes. "Don’t ever take that for granted what it means in today's climate. I just wanted to tell you it’s so significant for so many of us. Seriously..."

"Thank you so much," replied Meghan. "That’s so nice of you to say."

Pharrell responded: "I mean this. It’s significant. We cheer you guys on."

At that point, Meghan grasped Pharrell's arm and said: "Oh thank you. They don’t make it easy..."

It seems, from the context of conversation, that Meghan was referencing the public and the continuous judgment over her family when she said "they don't make it easy".

Meghan and Harry have, in some ways, made efforts to draw back from the public eye - especially when it comes to their baby son, Archie. Photographs of him have so far been limited, and his christening remained private, as did the details of his godparents.

Retaining some level of privacy, despite the Duke and Duchess' high profiles, is important to them - and they proved that by refusing to give Archie a royal title - instead choosing to raise him as an ordinary citizen.

And it's not particularly surprising, considering the media intrusion they have experienced in their three years together, particularly towards the beginning of their relationship. Just a few months after they began dating, in November 2016, Kensington Palace made the unusual move of releasing a statement on behalf of Prince Harry urging the media to leave his then-girlfriend and her family alone.

Writing that Harry has "never been comfortable" with the "significant curiosity about his private life", the letter went on to say the media had crossed a line with its intrusion of Meghan.

"His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," the statement read. "Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm.

"He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life and his."

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