The Duchess of Sussex has described the mourning period of the Queen’s death as a “complicated time”, adding that she felt a “deep gratitude” to have been given the chance to get to know her.

Meghan opened up about how she and the Duke of Sussex felt after the Queen died last month and outlined how they have processed her death as a family.

Describing what the time had been like for them, she told Variety magazine: “There’s been such an outpouring of love and support. I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time.

“What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband’.”

She added: “I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.”

The Sussexes have had a troubled relationship with their relatives in recent years, with Meghan stating in a recent interview with The Cut magazine that “just by existing” they were “upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy” before they stepped down as senior working royals in 2020.

The couple were in Europe when the Queen died on September 8.

They flew to the UK that day, with Harry travelling straight to Balmoral to be with the family.

During the mourning period, they were reunited in public with the Prince and Princess of Wales for the first time since Commonwealth Day in 2020 during a walkabout at Windsor Castle.

William and Harry have a well-documented troubled relationship, but the death of their grandmother saw the rivals shelve their differences when they viewed floral tributes left to the late Queen.

In the Variety article, Meghan also said her death had given them perspective of what they wanted to “focus their energy on”, adding that they feel “energised and excited” about their ongoing projects, including their Archewell Foundation.

She also briefly spoke about an upcoming docuseries with Liz Garbus, a filmmaker, who Meghan described as a “seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired.”

Reports previously stated the docuseries would be an “at-home” style show and would air on Netflix as part of the couple’s deal with the streaming giant.

“It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story, even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it,” Meghan said.

“But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.”