Meghan Markle Often Feels Lonely in Her New Royal Life

When you picture being an almost-Duchess, you might think of wearing glamorous clothes or attending royal balls, but the reality is proving to be much more depressing for Meghan Markle. A source close to Prince Harry‘s fianceé says that she’s bored, lonely, and missing her old life.

“[Kensington Palace] is beautiful, but when she wakes up she has nowhere to go really,” a source explained to In Touch. “She can no longer just get up and take the dog for a walk or go for a jog in the park. She’s not seeing a lot of her old friends in person.” Meghan feels even more isolated because she can’t connect with people over social media anymore.

“She’s a free spirit, and when she felt strongly about something, she could tweet or share photos,” the friend said. “Now she can’t.” And it doesn’t sound like her hubby-to-be is as sympathetic as she’d hoped. Harry rarely leaves the palace when he doesn’t have official business. “Harry may have underestimated what Meghan is going through,” said the friend. “He probably thought she could cope much better.”

She is “taking on an enormous amount. She is getting used to her royal role and all the implications that has,” continued the source, and it has her feeling “overwhelmed.” But who can she turn to? She doesn’t see her friends, and while she likes her soon to be sister-in-law Kate Middleton, she’s “busy with the children, her duties, and her pregnancy.” Luckily, Harry’s stepmother Camilla Parker Bowles “understands what it’s like to be an outsider,” and has become an unexpected friend in the palace.