'She's always been so independent, her entire life, and that's all been taken away from her.'
Meghan Markle was the most Googled person of 2018, and while she was a star in her own right before she started dating Prince Harry, interest in the former Suits star has only grown since the couple got engaged, married and announced that they are expecting their first child - all in the space of a year.
But Meghan has been the subject of many negative headlines over the last few weeks. Despite the fact that the Duchess of Sussex is believed to be around six months pregnant, she has been working hard to advance girls’ education behind the scenes, even meeting up with Michelle Obama to see how they can both work towards the worthy cause.
However, she has also been mummy-shamed for cradling her bump 'too much', slammed for breaking royal protocol at the British Fashion Awards, and let's not forget the alleged 'feud' between herself and her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton.
She was even given a chilling warning from her sister, Samantha Markle, who made a rather bizarre reference to Anne Boleyn's ghost 'walking the tower with her head in her hands'. Right.
But how has Meghan reacted to all the rumours and criticisms? While she has not addressed any of the rumours or speculation directly, according to a new report she is frustrated that she cannot stand up for herself.
A royal insider spoke to Us Weekly: 'She's always relied on her own voice to stand up for others, and for herself. So not being able to say anything is a debilitating feeling.
'She's always been so independent, her entire life, and that's all been taken away from her. She's always been able to clap back on social media and now she can't.'
If this is the case, it's completely understandable - however, considering she is due to welcome her little one in a few months we're sure the Duchess has more important things to be worrying about than tabloid gossip.
