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Meghan Markle's Friends Claim She Felt 'Unprotected' By Royal Institution During Pregnancy

As you may already know, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry recently stepped down for their royal duties and moved to Los Angeles.

After being mercilessly bullied and torn apart by the British press for two years, it came as no surprise that Meghan longed for some normalcy.

In hindsight, not only has she reportedly mentioned that she felt like there was a "conspiracy against" her, but her friends also claim that she felt "unprotected" by the royal family during her pregnancy.

I think we can all admit that for a gleaming moment when Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, we were all incredibly jealous.

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She went from being a commoner to a famous TV actress, to literal royalty. On paper, that's the dream!

But it didn't take long for the rest of the world to realize that she wasn't being treated like a royal BTS.

After two years of relentless scrutiny, Meghan and Harry quietly planned their departure from their roles in the royal family.

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At the start of the year, the couple announced in a statement that they would be stepping down from their royal duties.

While speaking at the dinner for supporters of Sentebale in London, Harry addressed his and Meghan's transition.

"I want you to hear the truth from me. As much as I can share, not as a Prince or a Duke but as Harry," he said.

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"The same person that many of you have watched grow up over the last 35 years but now with a clearer perspective. Once Meghan and I were married we were excited, we were hopeful, and we were here to serve," he continued.

"For those reasons, it brings me great sadness that it has come to this.It was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges," he went on.

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"And I know I haven’t always gotten it right but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. What I want to make clear is, we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you."

"Our hope was to continue serving the queen, the commonwealth and my military associations but without public funding," he said.

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In the past, Harry has acknowledged that the British press has mistreated his wife, and pleaded for them to be kinder to her.

But no such luck...

He, Meghan, and their son Archie, initially moved to Canada after stepping down. But not long after, they moved to Los Angeles instead — likely to aid the reconstruction of Meghan's acting career.

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In hindsight, Meghan and the people close to her reportedly feel like she was being conspired against from the start, and have revealed Meghan felt "unprotected" during her pregnancy.

In May, according to royal reporter, Katie Nicholl, in *The Times*, Meghan expressed feeling alienated from the royal family from the moment she married Harry.

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The source revealed to the reporter that Meghan "was convinced there was a conspiracy against her and so she basically put herself in isolation when they moved to Frogmore."

She reportedly "felt like an outsider from the start," as "this wasn’t the life she was used to and she wanted out.”

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"One of the things Meghan struggled with was not earning an income," the source revealed.

"She has always worked and I think she felt unfulfilled. Having financial freedom was a big part of them wanting to leave."

"I imagine he might be feeling a bit of what [Meghan] felt over in the UK—lonely and directionless," the source concluded.

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Anyways, in a recent update regarding Meghan's lawsuit against Mail on Sunday and Mail Online for publishing a private letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, statements given by her close friends reveal that she didn't believe that she was being protected by the Institution.

According to the court documents in relation to the case, as reported by *BBC*, Meghan suffered “tremendous emotional distress” over the publication of the aforementioned letter.

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“The Claimant had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media," the documents read.

"Specifically by the Defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health.”

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Five of Meghan's friends also gave statements in February of 2019 regarding the publication of the letter.

“As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare," the document explains.

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Adding, that her friends were concerned that she wasn't being looked after by the Institution during her pregnancy.

"Specifically, as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself.”

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The judge dismissed the claim that the publication intentionally “stirred up” problems between Meghan and her father, and had an “agenda” against her.

The judge also dismissed Meghan’s claim that the publisher had acted “dishonestly”.

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So, it looks like even still, Meghan is not being protected in the UK.

Thankfully, she and her hubby have happily started a new life in Los Angeles and she can get back to doing the things she loves — with hopefully less harassment from the press.

What do you think of the claims made by Meghan Markle's five friends that she felt "unprotected" by the royal institution during her pregnancy?

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Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!