Amy Duggar Compares Her Family to Meghan Markle’s Royal Family Drama After Oprah Interview

One may be a member of the British royal family and the other a member of a famous reality TV family, but Amy (Duggar) King says she can relate to Meghan Markle. Following Markle and her husband Prince Harry‘s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which they detailed the many challenges they faced following their 2018 nuptials, King spoke out about her own experience of feeling “controlled” while growing up as a member of the conservative family.

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, King said that “in a very small way” she can “sympathize” with Markle, explaining that like the Duchess of Sussex, she “too wasn’t protected. I too felt trapped and unheard. I felt like there was no way out, I felt used, controlled and I was scrutinized.” During the 90-minute tell-all interview, Markle detailed how she had next to no control over her life, which was instead controlled by “the firm.” She spoke about how “the firm” controlled her public image, though it failed to deny damaging reports about her, and how there was “very little” she was allowed to do, revealing that she was even told not to go out with her friends for lunch because she was “everywhere right now.” She also said that the “institution” failed to offer help when she experienced suicidal thoughts because she wasn’t a paid employee and “it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”

In her statements about the special, King acknowledged that she “can’t imagine what all she endured,” though she said she can “sympathize.” She added that “suicide is never the answer and I’m so glad she has found peace. I admire her grit, tenacity and her class.” King admitted that she “went back and forth asking myself ‘Do I need to send this message out?’” before coming to the conclusion that “answer is yes.” She said “it is so empowering to speak up!! I hope you will never be afraid to tell your story.”

As fans of the TLC family know, King has long been considered the “rebel” Duggar in comparison to her ultraconservative cousins, though she told PEOPLE back in 2016 that she “became known as the rebellious one without even really being rebellious,” noting that the title was mostly due to the fact that “growing up was all about shorts, tank tops, country songs and boyfriends.” Duggar has also been vocal about disagreeing with her family, including their rule that there should be no kissing before marriage. King previously revealed she cannot talk to her cousins about modern pop culture and even said that her more conservative family doesn’t “want me to influence them.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.