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Meghan Markle Reveals She Felt ‘Uncomfortable’ During 1 Secret Outing While She Was a Working Royal

Meghan Markle’s time as a working royal was fairly short, but she still went through a number of new experiences in such a role. And even today, she recalls a time when she felt ‘uncomfortable’ during one secret outing.

Meghan Markle did not love the time she spent in the royal family. She wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms (by the press or the family), and it ultimately led to her and Prince Harry stepping down from their senior royal roles and rebuilding a new life for themselves in the United States.

But during her roughly two short years as a working royal, Meghan managed to escape a handful of times. And one major 2019 trip was supposed to be exciting for the duchess — but also made her feel “uncomfortable.”

Meghan Markle in New York City in 2019
Meghan Markle in New York City in 2019 | Gotham/GC Images

Meghan Markle felt ‘uncomfortable’ during her New York City baby shower getaway

It seems that everyone always knows what the royals are up to. They can hardly go anywhere or do anything without the press being in the loop, but on one rare occasion, Meghan was able to escape to New York and go undiscovered for her first 24 hours there.

The Duchess of Sussex was in the United States for a couple of days for a baby shower with friends and family, but she revealed that after spending each day in the spotlight, she felt “uncomfortable” being out on her own.

“For me, sneaking to New York five years ago was a really big deal,” Meghan said during a speech at a bookstore opening in Montecito in early September, according to Express. “I was still so uncomfortable being out in the world.”

Meghan went on to say that she was looking for “safety“ and found it “in a bookstore.” When she visited the store, nobody yet knew that she was in New York. She said she was able to put a cap on and head into the establishment, and it was a small glimpse at freedom but still had her feeling uneasy given the life she’d been living since meeting Harry three years before this occurred.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the royal family so they could visit bookstores

Alright, Harry and Meghan didn’t specifically leave the family to visit bookstores, but you get the idea. With life in Montecito, the two can step out to attend a local store opening, but that never would have been possible as working royals without people flooding the streets trying to get a glimpse of the couple. It’s little experiences like that, which Meghan and Harry seemingly craved but couldn’t get while on the royal family’s watch.

These days, Harry and Meghan have sacrificed their reputations in order to make themselves happier, but they would likely agree that it was worth it. The two do struggle for positive media attention, but perhaps cozy bookstore openings are the key to getting the public to see that the two are more normal than people have made them out to be.