Meghan Markle clears up 'misconception' about herself following engagement to Prince Harry

In the wake of her and Prince Harry's engagement announcement, Meghan Markle is taking the opportunity to clear up a common "misconception" that the public has about her.

During the sit-down interview that she and Harry had with the BBC on Monday afternoon, the "Suits" actress opened up about the media scrutiny that they've experienced as a couple since going public with their relationship last fall. Countless rumors and claims about their romance have been made, and it's something that Markle isn't used to -- despite being an actress.

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"There's a misconception that, because I worked in the entertainment industry, that this is something I would be familiar with," Markle said of the media's coverage of her love life. "But even though I had been on my show for, I guess, six years at that point and working before that, I've never been part of tabloid culture. I've never been in pop culture to that degree and lived a relatively quiet life, even though I focus so much on my job."

"That was a really stark difference out of the gate," she continued.

For his part, Harry is used to the public's investment in his private life: The British royal's love life has been a source of interest for both British and international tabloids for years, so scrutinizing his relationship with Markle was, really, nothing new for the media's treatment of him. But for Markle, her (until then) six-season run on the USA Network drama gained her more of a cult following rather than making her a household name, so interest in her personal life isn't something she's used to.

See photos from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's engagement photo call:

After news broke of her romance with Harry last year, the actress almost immediately became inactive on social media and shut down her lifestyle website The Tig shortly thereafter as the public's interest in her relatively new romance reached fever pitch.

"We were just hit so hard at the beginning with a lot of mis-truths that I made the choice not to read anything," she said on Monday. "Positive or negative, it just didn't make sense and, instead, we focused all of our energies on nurturing our relationship. On us."

SEE ALSO: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reveal how Harry proposed during BBC interview

Almost exactly a year ago, the British media's obsession and dissection of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship took an even more negative turn into perceived racism, prompting Harry to release a strongly-worded statement that confirmed their relationship for the first time.

"He is also aware that there is significant curiosity about his private life. He has never been comfortable with this, but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the level of media interest that comes with it," the statement read. "The past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public -- the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."

"Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her," it continued. "It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game -- it is her life and his."

Of that moment -- and the media's focus on her ethnicity (Markle's mother is black) -- Markle insisted that she didn't pay much attention to what she called a "media storm."

"Of course it's disheartening, you know?" Markle told the BBC on Monday. "It's a shame that this is the climate in this world to focus so much on that. At the end of the day, I'm just proud of who I am and where I come from. We never focused on that; we've just focused on who we are as a couple."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got engaged earlier this fall and plan to wed sometime next spring.

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