Duke and Duchess of Sussex consider Africa move after intense media attention

The Duchess of Sussex has told of the unbearable pressure of life in the spotlight, saying she had "no idea" of the struggles she would deal with as a member of the royal family.

In a candid interview for an ITV documentary, she revealed her friends warned her not to marry Harry because the media focus would "destroy your life", admitting that since the wedding and during her pregnancy she felt "vulnerable".

Prince Harry, who said his wife has faced "relentless propaganda", also told the programme of the pressure he felt trying to "protect" his family from unwanted media attention, because he doesn't want a "repeat of the past".

Harry, 35, voiced his desire to leave the UK and revealed he is considering living in Africa one day.

He said: "I don't know where we could live in Africa at the moment.

"We've just come from Cape Town, that would be an amazing place for us to be able to to base ourselves, of course it would.

"But with all the problems that are going on there I just don't see how we would be able to really make as much difference as we'd want to.'"

Harry also revealed Africa will be the main focus of his and Meghan's work in the future.

He said: "The rest of our lives, especially our life's work will be predominantly focused on Africa, on conservation.

"There are 19 commonwealth countries across this continent, there's a lot of things to be done, there's a lot of problems here but there's also huge potential for solutions.

Speaking about the trip, he added: 'We've traversed across Africa, we've met a hell of a lot of people. There's a lot of work to do.

"We have to make sure the money spent on this trip is worth it so the public understand what we're trying to do.

"We're certainly not trying to lead the way, we're trying to do what is right

"We want to be authentic."

He also spoke about his relationship with his brother William, admitting that they are travelling on "different paths" in what is the first public acceptance of a rift.

The searingly honest interviews come following months of controversy involving Meghan and Harry, who came under fire for their privacy demands over Archie's christening, their use of private jets, and Meghan's Wimbledon appearance when she banned fans from taking photos.

And just two weeks ago the couple waged war on the media, announcing they were suing the Mail on Sunday over its publication of Meghan's estranged father's letters, and began legal action against the Sun and now defunct News of the World over phone hacking allegations.

After the programme aired the couple were met with a mixed response from the public on social media, some praising their honesty, but others criticised them for trying to find "sympathy" that they don't deserve, branding it a "missed opportunity" for them to win back support.

Tom Bradby's hour-long documentary, 'Harry & Meghan: An African Journey', followed the royal couple during their official tour of Africa last month.

The duchess, who has a five-month-old son, Archie, told Bradby that it was essential for her to "thrive" and "feel happy", warning simply enduring unwanted scrutiny is "not the point of life".

She told how she "really tried to adopt the British sensibility of a stiff upper lip" - but believes burying emotions like that can only lead to "damage".

In what was the first on-screen interview since becoming a mother, the American former actress admitted to feeling "vulnerable" during her pregnancy with Archie under the media spotlight.

She said: "It's hard. I don't think anybody can understand that. In all fairness, I had no idea, which probably sounds difficult to understand, but when I first met Harry, my friends were so excited, my US friends were happy because I was happy.

"But my British friends, they were sure he was lovely, but they said I shouldn't do it because 'the British tabloids will destroy your life'.

"Because I'm American I very naively didn't get it. It's complicated."

Meghan added: "I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair and that's the part that's really hard to reconcile.

"I've said for a long time to H – that's what I call him – it is not enough to just survive something. That's not the point of life. You've got to thrive and feel happy.

"I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I tried, I really tried.

"But I think what that does internally is probably really damaging."

Harry described the way he deals with the pressures of his life as being a matter of "constant management", adding: "I thought I was out of the woods and then suddenly it all came back, and this is something that I have to manage.

"Part of this job, and part of any job, like everybody, is putting on a brave face and turning a cheek to a lot of the stuff, but again, for me and again for my wife, of course there is a lot of stuff that hurts, especially when the majority of it is untrue.

"But all we need to do is focus on being real, and focus on being the people that we are, and standing up for what we believe in.

"I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum."