Maybe becoming a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Although Disney movies assure us that marrying into Royalty is a happy end to all your troubles, the recent case of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle proves that’s not always so in reality. Although the couple are as content as ever (despite rumors to the contrary), they’re showing no signs of returning to the Royal fold (again, despite what the rumors say).
Harry’s recent televised interview appearances prove that beyond any doubt — in documentary Tabloids on Trial, which aired in July, the Duke of Sussex claimed he still fears Meghan getting attacked by a “knife or acid” if she ever returned to the U.K. Similarly, his chat with CBS’ Sunday Morning show alongside Meghan herself saw the duchess allude to just how much of a strain on her mental health her time as one of the Royals really was.
Meghan Markle hopes opening up about her own suicidal thoughts amid Royal drama will help others in need
Harry and Meghan’s Sunday Morning appearance was notable for being the first on-air interview the pair have done together since their infamous chat with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. One of the most discussed revelations from that occasion was Meghan’s concerning admission that she had been left suicidal by the drama surrounding her arrival into the Royal family. “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” she told Winfrey.
With mental health being such a personal and passionate issue for the Sussexes, then, the couple have launched new initiative, The Parents’ Network, a free, peer-to-peer support service that’s open to those in the U.S., U.K. and Canada which aims to “support to parents whose children have suffered from the negative effects of social media.”
While speaking to CBS to promote it, Meghan explained that she hopes her discussion about her own struggles will inspire others to seek help. That said, she alluded to the fact that she has more work to do uncovering her own trauma, as well, noting that she’s barely “scraped the surface” of her own experience.
“I think 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,” Meghan said. “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. 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.”
“So, 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,” she continued. “I’ll take a hit for that.”
According to the official press release, The Parents’ Network will offer “crucial support” to parents whose children have faced “near-fatal harm” or are “managing ongoing mental health difficulties” due to social media — alongside those who have experienced the loss of a child.
In their Oprah interview, Meghan admitted to being plagued by frequent thoughts of self-harm and that she felt “ashamed” to come clean about this to Harry and her loved ones. She even reached out to the Royal household for help receiving therapy and she was allegedly discouraged from seeking out aid as she was told that it “would not be good for the institution.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please consider contacting the National Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).