Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly finding it difficult to settle into their new lives in Los Angeles after quitting as working members of the British royal family, as the prince feels "tormented by his fractured family ties" while his wife is "struggling to cope" with the recent developments and her battle against the British tabloids.

A source claimed to the Sunday Mirror that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are currently living in Tyler Perry's $18 million mansion in LA with their one-year-old son Archie, are facing "extreme tension" and "feeling low" amid a legal battle with British tabloids that has left the royal rift open in court.

A relative of the former American actress, who does not want to be named, told the outlet that Meghan has left her family "worried" as she had become "more distant" and "introvert" in the last few weeks. "Meghan has gone very quiet. I think she is likely to be feeling extremely low and probably struggling," the insider said, adding that Harry is also upset due to his differences with the royal family.

The source said that the duke of Sussex felt "particularly down" on his elder brother Prince William's 38th birthday on June 21, adding, "Prince Harry must be tormented by his fractured family ties."

According to the outlet, in recent documents lodged at the High Court this week in the couple's fight with a newspaper over published extracts of a letter Meghan sent to her dad Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex insisted that she felt "unprotected" by the British royal family when she was pregnant with son Archie and was being treated unfairly by British media. The 38-year-old stated that Kensington Palace had ordered her to say nothing about the articles other than "no comment."

In the document, the "Suits" alum also spoke about her five friends giving an interview to People magazine defending her and criticising her father Thomas. Meghan insisted that she never authorised her friends to do it and they only spoke to the magazine because they were worried about her.

British royal family at Commonwealth Day service
There were reports of splits within the royal family, and a growing rift between Harry and William. Photo: POOL / Phil Harris

"As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself," the document stated.

Prince Harry Meghan Markle British Royal Family