© Provided by INSIDERMeghan Markle has been friends with Janina Gavankar for 17 years. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
- Janina Gavankar said the royal family was "well aware" of Meghan Markle's mental health struggles.
- She explained on Wednesday that there are "emails and texts" to prove it.
- Gavankar said Markle turned to friends and Prince Harry after the royals denied her treatment.
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Janina Gavankar, a longtime friend of Meghan Markle, said there's evidence that the royal family and Buckingham Palace staff knew about the Duchess of Sussex's mental health struggles.
The actress spoke up days after Buckingham Palace released a statement saying they were "saddened to learn the full extent" of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's challenges, which Markle said during her tell-all with Oprah Winfrey included suicidal ideation.
Gavankar, who appeared on Wednesday's episode of "This Morning," weighed in on the palace's statement and said those around Markle were "well aware" of her condition.
"I know that the family and staff were well aware of the extent of it, and though their recollections may vary, ours don't, because we lived through it with them. And there are many emails and texts to support that," the actress said.
She continued, "I don't know who knew. I know that the family and the staff knew."
During the couple's interview, which 17.1 million viewers watched on Sunday evening, Markle said a senior member of the royal institution denied her request for mental health help.
Gavankar said the duchess turned to her friends and Harry for support. She added that a "wall was built around her" as she became "very isolated."
The way Markle was treated made Gavankar "very angry" at the time, the actress said. She explained that Markle asked her friends not to publicly comment since "the institution would protect them."
Gallery: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Families React to Bombshell Interview (US Weekly)
"Years later, we see now that was not the truth," Gavankar said.
A post shared by Meghan Markle 🔵 (@meghanmarkle_official)
The actress, who said she watched the CBS primetime special with the couple, also addressed the palace's investigation of allegations that Markle bullied royal staff members, which the duchess has previously denied.
"I have known her for 17 years and I have seen the way she regards the people around her and the people she works with, and I can say she's not a bully," Gavankar said.
She added, "I can also say that I am personally glad that people are doing their due diligence because I also know why someone had to leave. And it was for gross misconduct. And the truth will come out. There's plenty of emails and texts about that."
© Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImageMeghan Markle is the Duchess of Sussex. Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage
Several of Markle's other friends have also offered their support for the Duchess of Sussex following her explosive interview with Winfrey.
Serena Williams praised her friends' character in a statement she shared on Twitter Sunday, calling the duchess a "truly noble" individual that's experienced "pain and cruelty."
The tennis champion also condemned the "sexism and racism" faced by women of color like herself and Markle.
Patrick J. Adams, the duchess' former "Suits" costar, said it "sickened" him to read the tabloids' "endless racist, slanderous, clickbaiting vitriol" about Markle in a Twitter thread Friday.
"I also knew that Meghan was stronger than people realized or understood and they would regret underestimating her," he wrote.
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