Meghan Markle nearly died from postpartum preeclampsia after giving birth. In April 2025, she shared this experience on her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder. Her guest was Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble, who survived the same crisis. The two discussed how their bodies had failed them while the world expected them to carry on as usual.
“It’s so rare and so scary,” Meghan said. “And you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening. In that privacy, you’re still trying to show up for people, mostly for your children, but those things are medical scares.”
Preeclampsia develops when blood pressure rises high enough to damage organs. The Preeclampsia Foundation found that 75% of deaths happen after delivery, not during pregnancy. The danger window stays open for six weeks postpartum.
The Duchess of Sussex stood before the cameras just two days after giving birth, suffering from postpartum preeclampsia. She smiled and posed while silently suffering from the condition. Royal tradition demanded she show up. And it wasn’t the first time she’d been expected to keep going while hurting.
Growing Up Between Two Worlds
Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, at West Park Hospital in Los Angeles. Her father worked as a television lighting director. Her mother began her career as a makeup artist before transitioning into a social worker and yoga instructor. The marriage didn’t last. They separated when Meghan was two and divorced four years later.
Meghan attended private schools in Los Angeles. She told Mindy Kaling on her podcast Archetypes that she never had anyone to sit with at lunch. That loneliness pushed her toward leadership roles in the multicultural club, the sophomore class, and the French club. She scheduled meetings during lunch so she wouldn’t have to sit alone.
After graduating from Northwestern University in 1999 with degrees in theater and international studies, she returned to Los Angeles. Small television roles came her way, but freelance calligraphy paid the rent. The work was inconsistent, and the auditions endless.
Then, in 2011, she landed the role of Rachel Zane on Suits. She played the paralegal for seven seasons and built a lifestyle blog called The Tig on the side. By mid-2016, she had steady work and a small but loyal following.
A Blind Date That Changed Everything
A friend introduced Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at Soho House in London in July 2016. A few weeks later, Harry convinced her to join him camping in Botswana. They kept the relationship quiet for months.
The British tabloids broke the story on October 31, 2016. Within a week, Meghan faced what Harry called a wave of abuse and harassment. On November 8, Harry released a statement condemning it and confirming the relationship, calling out the racial undertones of media pieces and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls. Royals never defend their partners like this. The decision made his father and brother furious, but Harry wanted the attacks to stop.
They announced their engagement in November 2017 and married seven months later at Windsor Castle.
Days before the ceremony, Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, sold staged photos to the press and then told media outlet TMZ that he would not attend the wedding. She walked down part of the aisle alone before Prince Charles joined her.
The wedding made history. She became the first American working member of the royal family since 1937 and the first mixed-race woman ever to marry into the family.
Their son Archie Harrison was born on May 6, 2019. Two days later, Meghan Markle stood in heels at Windsor Castle to present him to the cameras, as royal tradition required. However, she was suffering from postpartum preeclampsia. On her podcast, guest Whitney Wolfe Herd says she remembers watching that appearance and wondering how Meghan could stand before the world in heels when she herself had struggled to answer the door in a robe after giving birth.
Breaking From the Palace
The palace refused to defend Meghan against racist attacks or provide her with mental health support. By late 2019, the couple decided they would not be part of the future monarchy.
In January 2020, Harry and Meghan announced on Instagram that they would step back from senior duties and become financially independent. The news blindsided the royal family. Queen Elizabeth called an emergency meeting dubbed the Sandringham Summit. By March 31, they had lost their titles and were no longer working members of the royal family.
They moved briefly to Canada before settling in Montecito, California. A year later, Meghan and Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an interview that made global headlines.
The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah that an unnamed royal family member had expressed concerns about how dark Archie’s skin might be when he was born. She admitted having suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy but said palace officials denied her mental health help.
Harry said his father stopped taking his calls during their exit negotiations. The royal family stayed silent in public. But behind closed doors, reports suggested William was devastated.
Three months later, on June 4, 2021, their daughter arrived, Lilibet Diana. The name honors both the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose family nickname was Lilibet, and Princess Diana.
Building a New Life
Within months of settling in California, Meghan returned to work. She launched her podcast Archetypes, which went on to win Pop Podcast of the Year at the People’s Choice Awards. That same year, in 2022, she and Harry released their Netflix series Harry and Meghan.
In January 2023, Harry published his memoir Spare. Guinness World Records confirmed it sold 1.43 million copies on its first day, making it the fastest-selling nonfiction book ever. In it, he described a physical fight with William and opened up about strained relationships with his father and brother. The book marked another public break from the royal family.
The couple kept expanding their projects. Meghan launched her cooking show, With Love, Meghan, in 2025, while Archewell Productions renewed its Netflix deal that August. She also introduced her lifestyle brand As Ever in April 2025, offering artisanal food products that sell out within hours.
Their combined work has reached beyond entertainment. They received honors from the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation for their work on racial justice and mental health, and in 2023, Gloria Steinem presented Meghan with the Women of Vision Award.
Read More: Prince Harry Feels ‘Guilty’ That Meghan Markle Had to Sacrifice Hollywood Career to Become a Royal
The Cost of Independence
After all the Duchess of Sussex has been through, the criticism never stopped. In September 2024, The Hollywood Reporter published complaints from former staff members about Meghan’s management style. Some described her as warm and genuine, others as cold and demanding. Vanity Fair followed in January 2025 with similar accounts. The stories conflict, and the truth likely lies somewhere in between.
Media narratives rarely tell the full story. The teenager who once ate lunch alone became a woman who built a career, endured an institution that would not protect her, and stood before cameras while going through a traumatic experience.
Today, Meghan Markle raises Archie and Lilibet in Montecito and runs the Archewell Foundation with Harry. Family ties remain strained, and the scrutiny continues. Yet she has survived real private pain made public and turned it into purpose. Whatever the headlines say, that takes strength.
Read More: The Royal Prank Call That Ended in Tragedy, and a Letter From Prince William