Meghan Markle’s new podcast launched its first episode yesterday, and is already off to a great start in terms of success. On Apple Podcasts, Confessions of A Female Founder is ranked as number six in the top podcasts category. The Duchess of Sussex’s podcast has also soared to first place in the top Business Podcast category.

While the new show is mainly about businesswomen and the challenges they face, fans were also interested to hear some new revelations by the Duchess. These were made in the first episode, which saw Meghan chat with her friend and Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. Here at Express.co.uk, we have listed the four bombshells Meghan made in the first podcast episode…

Meghan shocked royal fans in the podcast episode by revealing a “rare” and “scary” health battle she faced. The Duchess of Sussex revealed that she suffered postpartum preeclampsia. This is a rare condition that occurs when women have high blood pressure, along with excess protein in their urine soon after childbirth.

Speaking on the podcast to her friend and Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, 35, Meghan said: "We both had very similar experiences — though we didn't know each other at the time — with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia. It’s so rare and so scary."

The duchess continued: "And you're still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn't know what's happening quietly. And in the quiet, you're still trying to show up for people – mostly for your children — but those things are huge medical scares."

Meghan did not reveal whether she had this condition after the birth of Prince Archie, now five, or Princess Lilibet, three.

The duchess also touched on the topic of her lifestyle brand As Ever, which launched its first products last week. While the launch was a complete success, with all products selling out in less than an hour, Prince Harry’s wife said she was “consumed” by how to get the packaging of the products right.

She admitted on the podcast: “A month ago I was absolutely consumed by packaging. Boxes. It was all I could think about. And I would sit there doing the unboxing in my head. Is there tissue paper?

“What about the packing peanuts? But they’re biodegradable? Where does the sticker go?”

Meghan also spoke about juggling work with parenthood in the first episode, focusing specifically on her daughter Princess Lilibet, who currently attends pre-school.

When talking about Lilibet, Meghan said her daughter still naps and only does half days at preschool, with the Duchess admitting that she wouldn’t have life as a mum “any other way”.

She said in the episode: "If she (Lilibet) wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where to find me, even if my door is closed to the office.

"She'll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives… I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Meghan also hinted that New Years Eve for the duchess and Prince Harry tend to be quiet affairs. In the podcast, Whitney Wolfe Herd shared how she met Meghan at their Montecito home while dressed in a cowboy outfit alongside her husband.

This is because Whitney was on her way to a themed party after seeing Meghan and Harry at their Montecito home. Remembering the day, Meghan said: “Yes, that was the theme for the party you were heading to after you had dropped by our place. It wasn’t the theme of our house.

“We were having one of those quiet... We have young kids, we aren’t having a 'night out' kind of New Year’s Eves.”