Meghan Markle, 38, made a string of heartbreaking revelations in a behind-the-scenes interview while on tour in South Africa. In an ITV documentary about the couple’s trip, Meghan admitted she had found the past year tough and the Duchess of Sussex said she tried adopting a British sensibility while dealing with fierce scrutiny.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were shadowed by an ITV camera crew in Africa last month for a special documentary – Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.

In the programme ITV newsreader and long-term pal of Prince Harry, Tom Bradby speaks candidly with the couple about how they are finding royal life.

Both Meghan and Harry spoke openly about how they hadn’t found the past year easy.

While Prince Harry admitted he feared for Meghan and wanted to protect her from the same fate as his late mother, Princess Diana, the Duchess said she had been naive about the level of attention she would receive as a British royal family member.

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She said: ”You have no idea. It’s really hard to understand what it’s like.

“I know what it seems like it should be. It’s a very different thing. That’s okay.

“The good thing is I’ve got my baby and I’ve got my husband and they’re the best.”

Asked if she thinks she can continue on with the pressures of her very public life, Meghan said: “I’ve said for a long time to H — that’s what I call him — it’s not enough to just survive something.”

She added: “That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive. You’ve got to feel happy.”

“I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I tried. I really tried.

“But I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging.”

What is a “stiff upper lip”?

To “keep a stiff upper lip” is an idiom which has become synonymous with British attitudes.

While it’s a stereotype that can hardly be applied to a whole nation, someone who keeps a stiff upper lip is someone displays fortitude and stoicism in the face of adversity.

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The idea being that when a person’s lip begins to tremble, it usually indicates fear or deep emotion.

While the idea of a stiff upper lip dates back to ancient Greece and the Spartans, it was also adopted by the famous Roman Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius.

Over the centuries it has been used by famous British authors and playwrights including Shakespeare and Rudyard Kipling.

The phrase became symbolic of the British people during the Victorian era and has stuck ever since.

Harry & Meghan: An African Journey shows a vulnerable side to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex previously unseen by the public.

They will take a break from royal life in November when they will travel to the USA to spend time with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.

Speaking in the programme about his urge to protect both Archie Harrison and Meghan from the spotlight, Prince Harry said: “My mum clearly taught me a certain set of values of which I will always try and uphold despite the role and the job that sometimes that entails, if you know what I mean.

“But I think, I will always protect my family and now I have a family to protect.”

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