MEGHAN Markle has tonight revealed she feels “much better” after telling Oprah she suffered with suicidal thoughts while pregnant with son Archie.
The Duchess of Sussex tonight sat down for her first in-person interview since her bombshell chat with TV chat show queen Winfrey back in March.
And in a wide-ranging discussion, she spoke of cutting out coupons as a child, working as a waitress – and lobbying Republican senators for parental leave.
Meghan, who wore a Remembrance poppy on an all-black outfit, was quizzed as part of the New York Times’ DealBook summit.
She told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin her mental health is in a far better place now that she and Harry have stepped back from their work as senior royals.
Asking how she feels, Mr Sorkin said there was a “moment when a lot of the world” was wondering about her.
“I’m feeling much better about everything, thank you,” Meghan replied.
The duchess broke down in tears earlier this year when she told Oprah she “didn’t want to be alive any more”.
And she claimed she begged the Royal Family for help – but it was Harry who saved her.
‘I’M FEELING BETTER’
The 40-year-old, then pregnant with daughter Lilibet, told Oprah eight months ago: “I just didn’t see a solution.
“I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
This evening’s chat began when Mr Sorkin asked Meghan about her calls to US politicians Susan Collins of Maine and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.
The move sparked outrage as the royals always stay out of political matters.
But despite that stance, Meghan admitted she called both women as she lobbies for paid parental leave in the US.
The senators say she introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex – and neither knew how she’d got hold of their numbers.
Asking if she’d been “working the telephones”, Mr Sorkin said: “You’ve made this issue, and women, a central one for you.
“I’m sure there are people in the audience who are saying, ‘I don’t understand – she has this great privilege, why is this her topic?'”
HARRY’S ADVICE FOR MEG
Meghan, who laughed as he asked the question, said: “You’ve mentioned privilege.
“My husband always says, ‘With great privilege comes great responsibility’.
“But even before I had any privilege in my life, when my life and my lifestyle were very, very different, I always just stood up for what was right.
“I’ve been gone from the US for a really long time.
“I lived in Canada for seven years for work, then moved to the UK, and to come back and now be a mother-of-two, and to see that the US is one of only six countries that doesn’t offer any form of national paid leave for parents just didn’t make sense.”
She told the interviewer she first began to take an interest in political issues when she was just 11 – and would write letters if she saw “something wrong”.
“On this, I said, well, ‘Let me write a letter and let me pick up the phone and make some calls and see if I can help’ – to me, it’s a really logical and obvious thing to do,” she said.
However, she admitted Harry and the royals have a rule of “not getting involved”.
“From my standpoint, it’s a humanitarian issue,” she said.
A row over Meghan’s calls rumbles on this week, with Palace aides warning the duchess is “using her title out of context” and Piers Morgan urging the Queen to rescind Meghan’s royal titles.
Some say her interest marks a first foray into a new life in politics for the duchess.
‘I CLIPPED COUPONS’
Meghan was then questioned about being an “ambitious woman”.
She joked that she and Harry “don’t get out much” – but added that she’s “the same as I’ve always been”.
“I’ve always been a hard worker – people who know me well [will say] I’ve always been the same,” she said.
“The perception might be different, but if you’re really grounded in who you are and your ethics and values – I show up in the same way I always have.”
She even had words of praise for her estranged dad Thomas as she discussed her childhood.
Telling the interviewer she grew up “clipping coupons”, Meghan said her values “haven’t changed” since she was little – despite now having an estimated £250million shared fortune.
Asked if she still cuts out discount codes for her shopping, the privately-educated royal replied: “I don’t know if they still have coupons, but I won’t buy anything online without a promo code first.”
She said both of her parents have a “very strong work ethic” – and she began her first business at the age of just eight, when she made hair scrunchies to sell.
“I remember the feeling of knowing I had done something, invested in myself and done this labour and been compensated for it.
“There’s a sense of pride from it, whether it’s that, waiting tables or hostessing, both things I’ve done.
“It gives you sense of purpose and sense of self satisfaction.”
