Meghan Markle revealed in the debut episode of her new podcast that she was struck with a potentially fatal condition after giving birth.
The Duchess of Sussex spoke with Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of dating app Bumble, on her new show, “Confessions of a Female Founder.”
“We both had very similar experiences—though we didn’t know each other at the time—with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia,” Meghan says to Wolfe Herd on the show. “Postpartum preeclampsia.”
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According to the Mayo Clinic, postpartum preeclampsia is a “rare condition that occurs when you have high blood pressure and excess protein in your urine soon after childbirth.” Meghan did not say when the health scare hit her.
Meghan’s first child with husband Prince Harry, Prince Archie, is 5, and their second, Princess Lilibet, is 3.
“It’s so rare and so scary,” Meghan said of the condition. “And you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly. And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people—mostly for your children—but those things are huge medical scares.”
“Life or death, truly,” Wolfe Herd replied.
Wolfe Herd then showered Meghan with praise for presenting Archie to the world in a photocall at St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle in May 2019, two days after his birth.
“I’ll never forget the image of you after you delivered and the whole world was waiting for his debut,” Wolfe Herd said. “I was either just becoming or about to become a new mom, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, how is this woman doing this? How is this woman putting on heels and going and debuting a child in this, you know, beautiful outfit in front of the entire world?’ I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food in a robe.”
Wolfe Herd has two sons.
While Meghan’s new podcast was billed as offering insights from successful founders as Meghan sets up her own business, listeners familiar with Meghan’s previous work may not be entirely surprised to find the first episode rapidly descends into an orgy of mutual adoration as Meghan and Wolfe Herd tell each other how amazing they are, how proud they are of each other, and how they are “best friends,” despite having only met in recent years.
At one moment, Wolfe Herd tells Meghan: “When you go to your home, you’re, like, engulfed in love and coziness.”
Wolfe Herd says little to nothing about the sensational sexual harassment allegation she filed against Tinder when she quit the company.
When she briefly mentions how an “abusive relationship” in her teenage years had inspired her to set up a dating app rooted in “kindness,” Meghan does nothing to drill into this back story, preferring instead to focus on self-care meets business aphorisms, such as how “bottling your essence” will lead to business success.
Meghan also gave an insight into her family life, telling Wolfe Herd: “We became moms in the pandemic, post-pandemic culture, where there is so much working from home… I don’t leave the house to go to an office; my office is here.”
“Lili still naps, she gets picked up early and she naps,” Meghan adds. “She only has a half day in preschool. If she wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where to find me, even if my door is closed to the office. She’ll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives… I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
