Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle reveals she suffered a miscarriage

The Duchess of Sussex revealed that she suffered a miscarriage this year.

Writing of her "unbearable grief" in The New York Times, Meghan describes how she "felt a short, sharp cramp" on a July morning while she was caring for her son Archie.

The duchess, 39, said she went to hospital with Prince Harry and watched his "heart break" as the news was delivered.

She describes how tragedy struck on a “morning that began as ordinarily as any other day" in the company of her son.

"After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right," she said.

"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.

"Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband's hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal."

The duchess said she was sharing her story to help break the silence around an all-too-common tragedy.

She said conversations around miscarriages remained a "taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning".

She urged people to commit to asking each other "Are you OK?" over Thanksgiving in the US.

The intimate details shared in the article are strikingly at odds with the usual policy of senior members of the British royal family, who reveal almost nothing about their personal lives.

The Duchess of Sussex has disclosed that she suffered a miscarriage in July. AP

However, Zara Tindall, Princess Anne's daughter, has previously spoken about suffering two miscarriages. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, lost a baby in 2001.

Among the other European royals to suffer a miscarriage is Queen Sonja of Norway who revealed in a 2016 documentary she lost her first child in 1970.

The duke and duchess stepped back from royal duties and moved to California this year.

They have been trying to forge a new role for themselves outside the constraints of life in Britain's strictly codified royal family and the accompanying media attention.

The couple formally resigned from royal duties in April but had lived in Canada in the months prior.

They moved to the US at the end of March as the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold.

Since quitting as senior working royals, the duo signed an exclusive deal with streaming giant Netflix for an undisclosed fee earlier this year.

The duchess is also involved in an ongoing legal dispute with British newspaper publisher Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement.

The trial was scheduled to start early next year, but the judge presiding over the case granted a nine-month delay.

The duchess's lawyers sought the adjournment on "a confidential ground".

The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she suffered a miscarriage earlier this year in a personal retelling of the traumatic experience. AFP

Meghan sits in a discussion of the 'Senior Debate Squad' during a visit to Robert Clack School in Essex in March 2020. AFP

Prince Harry, Meghan, Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles, attend the Commonwealth Day Service in March 2020. Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, meet band members as they attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2020. Getty Images

Meghan poses with school children making the 'Equality' sign following a school assembly during a visit to Robert Clack School in Dagenham in March 2020. Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan meet veterans and soldiers as they attend the 91st Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey in November 2019. Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan with their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor during their royal tour of South Africa in September 2019. Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan meet Beyonce and Jay-Z in July 2019. Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan pose during a photocall with their newborn son Archie, in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in May 2019. AP Photo

Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, and Meghan attend a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey in November 2018. Getty Images

Meghan and Prince Harry with Queen Elizabeth II at the Queen's Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace in June 2018. Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II sits and laughs with Meghan during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in June 2018. Getty Images

Prince Harry and Meghan during their wedding at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018. Getty Images