Meghan Markle has opened up on the real reason why she has put herself back in the public spotlight despite years of criticism in a new interview. Since the start of 2025, Meghan has celebrated two new projects - the release of her Netflix series "With Love, Meghan" and her new brand As Ever, which launches today. While the duchess, 43, has been subject to harsh criticism since marrying Prince Harry in 2018, and even more so since quitting royal life in 2020, Meghan said she has returned to the spotlight for one key reason - she needs to work.

The Duchess told the New York Times: "I need to work, and I love to work." Meghan also said that before she met Prince Harry, she'd been working since she was 13.

Meghan also said that her business ventures mean she can balance work and parenting Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.

Talking about her projects, she said: "This is a way I can connect my home life and my work."

Elsewhere in the interview, which took place on Meghan and Harry's sprawling Montecito estate, Meghan also addressed the feedback she has received this year about her life. Since the release of her Netflix series last month, the duchess has been swamped with criticism by people who think she is out-of-touch and unrelatable to the struggles other people face in daily life.

When asked about this by The New York Times reporter, Meghan - who reportedly gestured at the view from her garden - said: "Don’t they know my life hasn’t always been like this?"

The duchess also shared some insights into her life that show she is not too dissimilar from other mothers around the globe.

In the interview, Meghan revealed that she does not spend hours behind the stove each day and sometimes instead cooks simple meals from the freezer for her two children, with the options either consisting of chicken nuggets or veggie burgers.

The New York Times published their interview with the duchess today, which was carried out last week, as she prepares for the launch of her As Ever products.