Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's new docuseries has taken the world by storm following its highly-anticipated release earlier today, with the couple recounting with heartwarming detail the early stages of their relationship.
However, the tell-all series did reveal the couple's agony amid harsh tabloid gossip following Meghan's debut as Prince Harry's girlfriend. Then, when the couple became engaged, they naïvely assumed that the nastiness would die down.
"I was believing what I was being told," Meghan stated in the docuseries, adding that she was constantly told by members of the Royal Family that: "It'll pass, it'll get better."
The mom-of-two then said that she was advised: "That's just what [the paparazzi] do in the beginning. Once you're married it'll get better. Once they get used to you it'll get better."
"No matter how hard I tried, no matter how good I was, no matter what I did, they were still going to find a way to destroy me," she revealed.
Sadly, the now-41-year-old remained the subject of awful headlines. One outlet referred to the California-raised former actress as "(almost) straight outta Compton," while another called her "dirt poor in the deep south." Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, even said in one episode that British press would publish images of Skid Row - an area of Los Angeles frequently inhabited by the impoverished and the drug-addicted - and say that this was where Harry's future bride had come from.
Reactions on social media have been generally mixed. British broadcaster Piers Morgan was unsurprisingly fast to share his opinions on the couple, taking to Twitter within 30 minutes of the show airing to write: "This is worse than Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Something I didn't think was humanly possible."
"'It's amazing what people will do when they're offered a huge amount of money - hand over photographs to create a story' - Prince Harry, who was paid £90 million by Netflix to hand over photos & create a story. This is so funny," he added in a later tweet.
However, many were quick to comment on Meghan's strength throughout the three episodes, with one user writing: "I absolutely LOVE [Meghan Markle] what a brave, strong beautiful woman she is."
Another user spoke on the bravery of both Harry and Meghan, tweeting: "The language used by the British press in relation to Harry and Meghan is so inflammatory and dangerous. H and M are incredibly brave to continue to stand up for themselves in the face of such shameful harassment & attacks, especially as they have no support from the institution."
"It's shocking to see so many trolls on my tweet from yesterday where I posted about the docuseries on Harry and Meghan. It has to be paid trolls! Wonder who would be doing this to them? I am very supportive of these two and how they are staying strong as they move forward," a further message read.
The final three episodes of the couple's docuseries will be released on Netflix next week, on December 15.