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More than half of Britons think the Duchess of Sussex has been good for the royal family, according to a new survey.
The research, conducted by Tatler
Forty per cent of those polled believe the media has treated the duchess unfairly, with 27 per cent believing this to be driven by racism.
A recent TV documentary shed light on how much Megan is struggling with the scrutiny she has faced in the press, with the former actor telling the presenter that she is not “okay”.
In Harry and Meghan: An African Journey , which followed the Duke of Sussex and Meghan on their recent royal tour of southern Africa, the duchess said she had “no idea” what marrying into the royal family would be like.
Show all 22 1 /22All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day 10 While attending a creative industries and business reception at the High Commissioner's residence in Johannesburg, Meghan opted for a light pink, sleeveless, trench-style dress by House of Nonie. The duchess met humanitarian Graca Machel, widow of the late Nelson Mandela, during the event.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day 10 The duchess styled her hair in a loose bun, accessorising with a pair of subtle turquoise earrings.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day 10 On the final day of the royal tour, Meghan and Prince Harry visited a township in Johannesburg to learn about Youth Employment Services. The duchess continued to demonstrate her proclivity for shirt dresses, wearing a white, mid-length number with a pair of tan heels.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day 10 The duchess added a splash of colour to her outfit with a pair of dark orange tassle earrings.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Nine On the ninth day of the royal tour, the Duchess of Sussex visited a school in Johannesburg to learn about a local charity that is fighting against sexual violence in schools. The duchess wore a khaki green shirt dress by ethical fashion brand Room 502 for her visit.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Nine The royal accessorised with dark drop earrings, which were designed with gold detailing.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Nine The duchess stepped out in a tan trench coat-style dress by Banana Republic when paying a visit to the University of Johannesburg. During her visit, Meghan took part in a round-table discussion about gender equality in education.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Eight On the second Monday of the royal tour, the Duchess of Sussex visited Victoria Yards, a regeneration project in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is home to design studios, art galleries and a monthly food market. The royal wore a navy mid-length shirt dress for the occasion, designed by Canadian fashion brand Aritizia.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Four The duchess wore a sleeveless black top and a pleated black and white skirt by American retailer J. Crew when she met with South African activist Sophie Williams-De Bruyn. In 1956, at the age of 18, Ms Williams-De Bruyn helped to lead a march of 20,000 women outside the Union Buildings in the city of Pretoria in protest of segregation.
SussexRoyal via Getty Images
All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Three The duchess wore a black jumpsuit by American retailer Everlane while visiting the Woodstock Exchange, an event for women founders and social entrepreneurs in Cape Town, South Africa. Meghan completed her look with a pair of black Manolo Blahnik heels and gold statement earrings by Gas Bijoux.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Three The duchess is pictured playing with a toddler while visiting mothers2mothers, a non-profit organisation which trains and employs women living with HIV as frontline health workers across Africa.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Three Archie made his royal tour debut on the third day of the trip to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The duchess wore a blue and white patterned silk dress by Club Monaco for the occasion.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Two For their final engagement on day two, the duke and duchess attended a reception for young people, community and civil society leaders at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Cape Town, South Africa. The duchess wore a striped maxi dress by Melbourne-based fashion label Martin Grant, while Prince Harry opted for a light grey suit.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Two Meghan previously wore the striped dress while in Australia on a royal tour with Prince Harry last year.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Two Following their visit to Monwabisi Beach, Prince Harry and Meghan ventured to the Auwal Mosque in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town. The duchess wore a khaki floor-length shirt dress by Staud, a cream headscarf and a pair of Sam Edelman pumps for the visit to the Muslim place of worship, which is the first and oldest mosque in South Africa.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Two On day two of the royal tour, Meghan and Prince Harry visited Waves for Change, a non-governmental organisation, at Monwabisi Beach in Cape Town, South Africa. The duchess wore a white shirt with black jeans and a Madewell denim jacket during the visit.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day Two The royal styled her hair in a tousled bun, wearing Brother Vellies loafers and carrying a Madewell khaki tote bag. Her Le Specs Bandwagon sunglasses hung from her shirt.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day One Meghan rewore a blue Veronica Beard dress she previously wore last year while in Tonga on a 16-day royal tour with Prince Harry.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day One The duchess accessorised the dress with Castañer Carina black wedge espadrilles, wearing her hair down in loose waves.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day One The duchess' wore a patterned monochrome wrap dress by ethical Malawian label Mayamiko that retails for £69 on the first day of the tour. The royal accessorised with a pair of Castañer Carina black wedge espadrilles.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day One The duchess wore a bracelet that spells out the word 'justice' during the first day of the royal tour.
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All Meghan Markle's outfits during royal tour to South Africa Day One The duchess danced at the Nyanga Township in Cape Town, South Africa while wearing a monochrome wrap dress by fashion label Mayamiko.
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“When I first met my now-husband my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me: ‘I’m sure he’s great but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life’,” the royal said.
The 38-year-old added that, as an American, she “very naively” thought the notion of her appearing in the tabloids did not make “any sense”.
“The biggest thing that I know is that I never thought this would be easy but I thought it would be fair,” Meghan said, “and that is the part that is hard to reconcile”.
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