Lady Frederick Windsor has spoken candidly about what it’s really like to marry into the British Royal Family, describing the experience of constant attention as “a form of torture.”

The British actress, whose real name is Sophie Lara Winkleman, 45, has been married to Lord Frederick Windsor, 46, since 2009. Her husband is a British banker, the only son of the Prince and Princess of Kent, and a first cousin once removed of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Audiences will recognise Sophie from her acting work, including her role in Peep Show alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb, and from the US sitcom Two and a Half Men. She’s also the half-sister of The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman.

Speaking to The Times, Sophie said she had gained a new perspective on royal life since marrying into the family.

“The more I get to know the Royal Family, the more I see that their lives are total hell,” she said. “That level of unasked-for fame is a form of torture. None of them went on Pop Idol to be famous. To have that blinding spotlight on you from birth, not knowing who you can trust, people writing lies about you all the time—it’s just brutal.”

She added: “I feel for them all. I don’t think a life with that much scrutiny and pressure is remotely healthy, but they have no choice.”