Meghan Markle breaks silence after being accused of 'overshadowing' Kate Middleton

Meghan Markle made her first statement amid accusations that she and Prince Harry tried to steal Kate Middleton’s spotlight with their Netflix teaser.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, opened up about the solace she finds in bookstores after several royal experts dragged her for trying to “overshadow” the Princess of Wales.

The Sussexes faced criticism for allegedly trying to upstage Kate by releasing a promo clip for Harry's polo documentary on Netflix, just hours after Kate shared a heartfelt video about her cancer journey.

Piers Morgan even noted that Harry and Meghan timed the release of their new Netflix show's promo just "100 minutes" after Kate released the video on her cancer recovery.

However, Meghan appeared unfazed by the backlash as she recalled a secret trip to New York five years ago during a visit to bookstore, Godmothers, in Montecito, California.

Meghan spoke about the comfort and safety she finds in bookstores while sharing an anecdote about her visit to the city to support her friend Serena Williams at the U.S. Open five years back.

She recalled wearing a cap and keeping a low profile to avoid detection in the city. “For me, sneaking to New York five years ago was a really big deal,” the Duchess of Sussex said.

“I was still so uncomfortable being out in the world. The safety of what I was craving, I knew I could find in a bookstore,” she added.

Meghan also thanked the bookstore's founder “for not just creating the space, but for holding the space for so many people to feel seen through the pages, either in laughter, in grief, in feeling less alone.”