Meghan Markle might host her own podcast – but, for the first time since meeting Prince Harry, Meghan has been interviewed on one. And luckily for listeners, she didn’t hold back. Though she might have just hosted her lifestyle show As Ever, Meghan still isn’t someone we get to hear from in interviews that often. But she decided to be on the other side of the mic for Jamie Kern Lima, who hosts her own podcast. (Fun fact about Jamie? She’s the founder of IT Cosmetics.)

In the chat, she revealed that she’s still very in love with Harry. ‘If you haven’t noticed, my husband is very, very handsome,’ she said, calling him a ‘fox’. ‘But his heart is even more beautiful.’ But, during the discussion, she also made a not-so-subtle swipe at the Royal Family – saying that during the early days, she felt like they were landed into a war zone.

‘You have to imagine at the beginning, everyone has, like, butterflies,’ she said. ‘Then we immediately went into the trenches together. Yeah, right out of the gate, like six months into dating.’ In fact, she even said that she feels like they’re going through ‘more of a honeymoon period’ now. ‘So now, seven years later, when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way,’ she added.

You might remember, what Meghan was probably hinting at was the media furore unleashed when it was discovered that the pair were dating in 2016. So vile was the tabloid coverage and abuse, the Royal Family released an unprecedented statement condemning ‘the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and Web article comments’. The strongly worded statement continued saying Prince Harry ‘is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her’. ‘He knows commentators will say this is “the price she has to pay” and that “this is all part of the game,”’ it added. ‘He strongly disagrees. This is not a game—it is her life and his.’

It was a few years later, in 2021, that Meghan and Prince Harry opened up about the traumatic time to Oprah, with Meghan saying she ‘couldn’t be left alone’ and ‘didn’t want to be alive anymore’. She also alleged that the Royal Family wouldn’t let her get support for her mental health, as it would damage their reputation. ‘I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help,’ she said at the time. ‘I said that “I’ve never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere”. And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.’

But, thankfully, Meghan seems to be in a far better place now. Speaking earlier this week at a talk during the Time100 Summit in New York City she said she couldn’t believe how, thanks to her family unit, her life had turned around. ‘To have a partner and a husband who is so supportive and have healthy kids who are so joyful… I never would have imagined at this point I would feel so happy and grateful, and I really do.’

Going back to the podcast, there was further joy as Meghan teared up when reading an adorable note from her kids: Archie and Lilibet, which had been written by her husband. ‘From Archie and Lili via Papa,’ the cute letter read. ‘We love your cooking. We love your pancakes and we love, love, love your hugs. You’re the best mummy and we love you.’ Getting emotional, she noted how the kids call her ‘mum’ instead of ‘mom’.

‘So sweet. I also love that it’s mummy, instead of mommy, which is very British.’ But there has been a little bit of controversy since Meghan’s appearance on the show – as she didn’t just make headlines for what was said. In the video accompanying the podcast, Meghan can be seen giving a gift basket to Jamie – but it was a card inside, which read ‘With the Compliments of HRH The Duchess of Sussex’, which sparked outrage for some. 

Why? Well, when Meghan and Harry gave up life as working royals in 2020, it was understood that they would no longer use HRH before their names (even though they could still keep the titles). But the BBC have since reported that, according to sources, the couple do not use HRH in public or commercial settings, also noting this was a personal gift and that the podcast happened over a year ago.

With Meghan continuing to dive into the world of lifestyle with her wellness brand, As Ever, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon – and we wouldn’t be surprised if we start hearing from Meghan more in interviews. Bring it on.