While it’s been no secret that the Prince and Meghan stood on rocky ground with his family throughout the duration of their relationship, new details were revealed yesterday that will likely shake the foundation of the royal institution.
In a candid and heartbreaking two hour interview with Oprah that aired on March 7, Meghan Markle revealed that while she was pregnant with her first child, Archie, she suffered from suicidal thoughts brought on by her media portrayal and stress caused by her role in the royal family. However, when Markle turned to a senior royal for help, she was told that it would look bad “for the institution,” to give her the care she needed.
Markle shared the gravity of her mental health at the time, saying “It wasn’t even, ‘I don’t want to [be alive],’” Meghan said. “It was like, ‘These are the thoughts that I’m having the middle of the night that are very clear … and I’m scared, because this is very real. This isn’t some abstract idea. This is methodical, and this is not who I am.”
Eventually Markle turned to HR at the palace seeking help, but was told that there was nothing to be done, leading to the young couple’s decision to leave their royal titles behind. “[Human resources] said: ‘My heart goes out to you because I see how bad it is, but there’s nothing we can do to protect you because you’re not a paid employee of the institution.’ This wasn’t a choice, this was emails and begging for help saying very specifically: ‘I am concerned for my mental welfare,'” Meghan said. “Nothing was ever done. So we had to find a solution.”
While Winfrey pointed out that Prince Harry always appeared to be living a charmed life during her public appearances, the 36-year-old set the record straight. “Enjoying the life because there were photographs of me smiling while I was shaking hands and meeting people?” he said. “That’s — that’s a part of the job.
That’s a part of the role. That’s what’s expected. No matter who you are in the family, no matter what’s going on in your personal life, no matter what’s just happened, if the bikes roll up and the car rolls up, you got to get dressed, you got to get in there.”
The royal family has already received tremendous backlash following the dramatic interview, but a representative for the palace has yet to speak out about the claims made by the former royals.
