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Meghan Markle has said that she “would never want someone not to be believed” as she addressed the suicidal thoughts she experienced during her time in the royal family.
The Duchess of Sussex appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning on 4 August with her husband, Prince Harry, to talk about their new project, The Parents Network, which will support parents of children affected by online bullying.
During the interview, journalist Jane Pauley asked Meghan about her experiences of suicidal thoughts, which she first addressed publicly with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. In response, Meghan said that while she “wasn’t expecting” Pauley to bring up that topic, she still “understood why”. The Duchess added that she wants to continue speaking candidly about her mental health.
“When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey, certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open about it. And I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience. But I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way,” she said.
“And I would never want someone else to be making those sorts of plans. And I would never want someone else to not be believed. If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone, or encourage someone in their life to really, genuinely check in on them, and not assume that the appearance is good so everything’s okay, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”
During Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah, she tearfully addressed her mental health challenges during her time in the royal family. “I just didn’t want to be alive any more,” she said.
When asked explicitly about suicide and self harm, she responded: “That was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. And I remember how he [Harry] just cradled me.”
She continued: “I went to the institution, and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said that I’ve never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
In their 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, the Duke of Sussex spoke openly about his wife’s mental health. Harry recalled how “devastated” he was when he learned that she was struggling with thoughts of suicide.
“I knew that she was struggling. We were both struggling, but I never thought that it would get to that stage. And the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed. I didn’t deal with it particularly well,” Harry said. “I dealt with it as ‘institutional Harry’ as opposed to ‘husband Harry’. And what took over my feelings was my royal role.”
The duke said his response was due to a lifetime of worrying about “what are people going to think”.
He continued: “Looking back on it now, I hate myself for it. What she needed from me was so much more than I was able to give.”
He also criticised his family’s response to Meghan’s mental health challenges, claiming that they “knew how bad it was,” and yet questioned why she couldn’t “just deal with it”.
During the couple’s appearance on CBS, they explained that they want their new project to bring awareness to the dangers of online bullying because they themselves are parents of two young children, Archie and Lilibet.
“Our kids are young; they’re three and five. They’re amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them,” Meghan said. “And so, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
