Between family feuds, the end of their $20 million (£15.7m) Spotify podcast deal, and Prince Harry giving evidence at the phone hacking case, it’s been a busy few months for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It’s no wonder, then, that the couple might be a little stressed out. It might explain why Megan Markle was spotted wearing a $4 anti-stress patch while out and about in Montecito, California this weekend. Made by NuCalm, the company’s biosignal processing discs aim to reduce stress and provide a sense of calm.
The anti-stress patch might be a new tool in Megan’s wellbeing arsenal, but the pair are no strangers to the world of wellness, embracing everything from life coaches to acupuncture. Meghan also used to have her own wellness blog, TheTig, which is rumoured to be making a return soon. Writing on the blog, Meghan once said: “I was born and raised in Los Angeles, a California girl who lives by the ethos that most things can be cured with either yoga, the beach or a few avocados.”
But as the anti-stress patch demonstrates, sometimes the couple might need a little more than a walk on the beach or some mashed avocado on toast. Wearable tech, LED light facials and EMDR therapy are just a few of the techniques that feature in their wellness routines (and, yes, there’s yoga, too). This is the world of wellness according to Harry and Meghan.
Wearable wellness
Made by NuCalm, the anti-stress patch Meghan has been snapped wearing is said to “provide the neurochemistry to accelerate the onset of the relaxation response”. Put simply: it’s supposed to keep you calm and feeling zen. It’s not the first time the pair have dabbled in wearable wellness tech. In 2018, Harry was seen wearing an Oura — essentially a fitness, wellbeing and sleep tracker in ring form — while on a royal tour of Australia.
Hip-hop yoga
As we’ve already established, Meghan is really into yoga. In fact, her mum Doria was a yoga instructor, so it runs in the family. Although, her ideal soundtrack for a yoga sesh isn’t necessarily something chilled-out and soothing.
In an interview with Women’s Health, she said: ‘My mom was a yoga instructor so that practice is in my blood. I love an intense vinyasa class — and even better if it’s blasting hip-hop and done in a dark room with candlelight.’ It’s not just yoga — Meghan is known for her love of Pilates, too. Specifically, she’s spoken before about her love of Megaformer Pilates (a more intense version of Reformer Pilates), which she’s got to grips with at Pilates Platinum, her friend Heather Dorak’s studio in California.
Tapping therapy
Both Harry and Meghan have been known to speak out about mental health issues. Harry has said: “I knew that if I didn’t do the therapy and fix myself, that I was going to lose this woman who I could see [me] spending the rest of my life with,” on The Me You Can’t See, a show he made with Oprah Winfrey exploring mental health. One of the techniques Harry uses is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), a process that involves tapping your hands and moving your eyes, and is said to help with trauma and PTSD.
Harry has been open about his therapy journey, even taking part in some sessions which have been filmed and broadcast to the public — he took part in an EMDR session on screen in The Me You Can’t See. He’s also worked with renowned trauma expert Dr Gabor Maté, and was filmed having a 90-minute session with him, where Maté diagnosed him with ADHD.
Acupuncture
Harry and Meghan are both fans of acupuncture. "I have been a longtime believer in acupuncture,” Meghan told The Chalkboard. “I used to have debilitating migraines (hospitalised for them), and acupuncture and Eastern medicine absolutely changed my life. Migraine-free living is a game-changer.” It’s thought that their go-to acupuncturist is London-based Ross Barr, who attended their wedding in 2018. Barr hasn’t spoken out about working with them because of patient confidentiality, but he did make it into the acknowledgments in Harry’s book, Spare, so make of that what you will.
Green juice
Drinking coffee to get you through the afternoon slump? You’re doing it all wrong. Meghan suggests ditching the caffeine in favour of a nutrient-dense green juice. In an interview with Today.com, she said: “It’s easy to fall into the trap of rushing for a coffee when you hit that 4pm slump. I blend some apple, kale, spinach, lemon, and ginger in my Vitamix in the morning, and I always find that sipping on that is a much better boost than a cup of espresso.”
That said, not all coffees are created equal. Back in 2020, Meghan announced she was investing in Clevr Blends, a wellness brand which sells coffee powders made with adaptogens, mushrooms and superfoods that promise to be “brain-boosting” and “mood-lifting”.
Inner facials
The Duchess of Sussex loves a facial. Speaking to The Chalkboard, she waxed lyrical about celeb facialist Nichola Joss, who is famous for her Inner Facial: “She literally sculpts your face from the inside out – the most bizarre and rejuvenating facial of all time when a woman has her hands in your mouth. Hurts so good!” She also gets treatments from Sarah Chapman, another facialist to the stars who reportedly prepped Meghan for her wedding to Harry in 2018 and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Daily journaling
Not all of the Sussexes’ wellness techniques involve swanky tech or expensive treatments. Meghan has also talked about her love of journaling. "It allows me to reflect on where I’ve come from. And with that comes a lot of perspective. I think that most of us can all connect with the idea that sometimes when you’re going through something it feels like the biggest thing in the entire world,” she said on the Teenager Therapy podcast. "I think when you look back at it in a year and yeah, it was still big, it wasn’t that big, comparatively. And it’s not to diminish what it was, it’s just suddenly when you have some perspective that is only visible when you have people to check you with that… I think that’s really valuable so that everything doesn’t become insurmountable, so there’s always a way to overcome something."
