SHE said that being part of the Royal Family left her feeling suicidal — and would stop at nothing to protect the privacy of her children.
The Duchess of Sussex also vowed that she only wanted to do the kind of work that “feeds my soul and fuels my purpose”.
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So fans of Meghan may be forgiven for feeling a little confused by her latest activities — which have provoked criticism after she used her royal title and wheeled out the kids for Instagram likes.
Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed businesswoman continues to promote a flurry of projects aimed at securing her global profile, including her new brand As Ever, while continuing to take swipes at the Royal Family.
Speaking on the podcast of close pal and cosmetics impresario Jamie Kern Lima, Meghan, 43, described her early days as a royal with Prince Harry as being “in the trenches”.
Which begs the question: If it was such a painful time, why is she still using her royal title?
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Fans were astonished when Jamie shared a snap of a food hamper the duchess had sent her with a note, headed with her monogram, that features a crown on top of the letter M, which read: “With the compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex.”
While brokering the terms of Megxit, Harry and Meghan had promised the late Queen and senior officials that they would no longer use the word “royal” or their HRH titles as they transitioned to becoming “financially independent”.
The pair have seemed to stay loyal to that promise — despite still using the monikers The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — even though they have been critical of the monarchy.
‘I feel like it’s more of a honeymoon period for us’
But Meghan’s use of HRH on her note to a friend sounded the alarm.
In the aftermath, a spokesman for the couple insisted they do not use their HRH titles for commercial purposes, with insiders adding they only use it informally among friends.
But what exactly is informal and friendly about using the very prestigious title Her Royal Highness?
Is that how one normally greets friends?
The implication is that Meghan is struggling to define who she is and what she stands for — and the directionless duchess seems prepared to abandon her self-proclaimed moral high ground to keep her relevant.
Meghan has also found herself in a sticky situation when it comes to using her kids in social media posts, as she ups the ante on promoting her new jam.
Husband Prince Harry, 40, is said to be wary of putting Archie, five, and Lilibet, four, in the public eye — but it seems Meghan, whose celebrity pals happily share photos of their kids online, cannot resist.
This week, she posted pictures of her son and daughter picking roses in the garden.
While she only showed glimpses of little auburn heads, the public certainly saw more than they had seen before.
The children were also heard for the first time as videos showed them playing in their garden and Lilibet making jam with her mum at home.
The toddler adorably told Meghan in one clip: “I think it’s beautiful.”
But commentators highlighted the timing of the Sussex children’s online debut.
At the beginning, it’s all butterflies.
But then we immediately went into the trenches together. Right out of the gate, like six months into dating.Meghan
Lili has not seen her paternal family, including grandfather Prince Charles, in three years.
But now the world has heard her voice, and it has been used to tell us just how delicious Meghan’s jam is — on sale now for just $14.
It’s left some wondering what Prince Harry makes of it all.
Just days earlier he told the BBC in New York: “Life is better off social media,” adding that he was “grateful” that his children were still too young to be online.
His comments came as he and Meghan unveiled a memorial to children whose lives were lost “due to the harms of social media”.
Having grown up in the spotlight, Harry has always been clear that he wants to shield his kids from similar scrutiny.
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But as Meghan flogs a lifestyle brand, she wants to show her ever-so-aspirational life — photogenic kids included, even if it is just the back of their heads.
And she was quick to quash any rumours of a rift with her “very, very handsome” husband by raving about how much of a “fox” he is on Jamie’s podcast.
Gushing that she was more loved-up than ever, Meghan said: “At the beginning, it’s all butterflies.
“But then we immediately went into the trenches together. Right out of the gate, like six months into dating.
“So now, seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way.
“And that’s why I feel like it’s more of a honeymoon period for us now.”
But it seems that Meghan is under no illusion that her involvement with Harry and her estranged in-laws is what sells.
Attempts at being a podcast host, philanthropist, children’s author, lifestyle influencer and cooking guru have not proved as popular as being an estranged royal.
So it looks like she is reminding us again just what hardships she went through to get to where she is now.
Her decision to resurrect old grievances comes as other projects flounder in the wake of her stepping away from her royal profile.
Netflix series With Love, Meghan, which debuted in March and featured her welcoming friends into her home — or, rather, a rented property nearby — to bake biscuits and make candles from home-harvested beeswax, was a critical failure.
And her second stab at podcasting — a series of chats with women entrepreneurs called Confessions Of A Female Founder — has already fallen out of the Spotify Top 100 a month after its launch.
Her first podcast, Archetypes, crashed and burned amid a falling out with Spotify three years ago.
No wonder the self-styled domestic goddess is throwing the kitchen sink at her organic food brand As Ever — hastily rebranded from its original name American Riviera Orchard.
She has ramped up her public appearances in recent days, attending the Time100 Summit in New York on Friday and a Broadway show on Thursday.
Let’s not forget, when Harry and Meghan fled royal life, they did so in pursuit of “privacy”.
Of course, the couple have been mocked ever since for their so-called determination to keep their affairs private while airing their dirty laundry to the world — they were even lampooned on South Park for going on a “worldwide privacy tour”.
As always with the Sussexes, it’s a confusing message — and amid all the self-promotion and reminders that she is an emigre royal over the past week, Meghan strangely looks more directionless than ever.
Is she the down-to-earth homemaker and self-made business- woman who es- caped the evil clutches of the Royal Family and never looked back?
Or is she, as she is also keen to portray herself, the monarch of Montecito?
Right now her USP is starting to look as flimsy as one of those dried flower petals she’s selling on her online shop — and just as superfluous.
Now the world waits to see if she can put her limited-edition wildflower honey where her mouth is and truly define herself, away from the tenuous royal titles and subtle hints at the life that she and Harry fled.
If not, she’ll simply find herself in yet another jam.
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