Meghan STRESSED & SPIRALING

Life outside the royal family has fueled new. pressuresforMeghan) Markle—andfriends believe she's cracking under the pressure

Meghan Markle is k now n for her great fashion, but a recent look has left some scratching their heads. She stepped out in Montecito, Calif., on Aug. 11 — a warm, sunny day — wearing a wool coat and a scarf wrapped around her neck. The duchess also captured attention with what was on her wrist: a NuCalm biosignal processing disc the company claims can “lower…stress, improve sleep quality and increase…focus.” Meghan has used stress patches over the years, “but more so lately, especially when [husband Prince] Harry’s not around,” says a source, noting that the Duke of Sussex was in the midst of a trip to Japan and Singapore to play a charity polo match when Meghan was spotted wearing the sticker. “And she’s been wearing winter coats in the summer, which is comforting to her, but it’s also odd.”

So odd that it’s sparking concern. “Meghan’s anxiety kicks in when she’s not in control,” explains the source, who says that after losing their lucrative contract with Spotify two months ago and being labeled “grifters” by a podcast exec at the company, Meghan, 42, and Harry, 38, are eager to find new ways to establish themselves as a success story since pivoting to the entertainment world following their 2020 exit from royal life in Britain. “It seems that the pressure of making her mark in Hollywood is finally getting to Meghan. Trying to reestablish herself, constant money problems, Harry traveling and leaving her home alone a lot — it all adds up. She’s stressed, and friends are afraid she could be spiraling.”