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It was a beautifully written piece, but difficult to read without developing a lump in your throat. It made us all the more aware that Meghan Markle has a lot to say.
One of the biggest revelations from the Oprah interview was that Meghan Markle had actually become suicidal at the height of the media nightmare, and was refused adequate support by the royal institution (the institution refers to the team of people close to the royal family who manage their affairs and run the palace).
The difficulties Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are having are particularly painful because, in many ways, history is repeating itself. Princess Diana was also hounded by the media while struggling with her mental health as an outsider within the royal family.
Princess Diana admitted to self-harming during this period as a way to cope with the pain she was feeling. She said this helped her to understand people she met through her charity work who were going through similar struggles.
In the article, Markle focused on the importance of asking the question “are you okay?” She was surprised to be asked this by a reporter during the making of the 2019 documentary 'Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.' She admitted that no, she was not okay, and that she wasn’t often asked.
This was one of the first times Markle opened up about how she had been suffering through her battle with the British tabloids, as a new mother, and as a new royal. She had previously kept her feelings quite private, which seems like a reasonable act of self-protection given her relationship with the media.
This podcast episode was released before Harry and Meghan had even made their first public appearance as a couple, but foreshadowed the difficulties they would experience in the years to come.
He spoke about being overwhelmed by the lies and misconceptions that were coming at him from every angle, and his inability to speak up for himself because of his royal responsibilities. “One of the hardest things, I suppose, is not being able to have that voice and stand up for yourself, and to let it wash over you.”
Prince Harry also spoke out in support of his wife, in a statement sharing the pain he felt at watching his wife suffering through the same media abuse as his late mother.
In the same documentary that saw Markle speak out for the first time, Prince Harry also spoke candidly about the unresolved trauma he suffers from the loss of his mother. He explained how the clicks and flashes of cameras take him back to the dark times when his mother was hounded by paparazzi, which acts as the worst possible reminder of her life.
Prince William took part in the 2019 documentary ‘A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health.’ He described suffering “a pain like no other” after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. He expressed the need to relax the stoic, stiff upper lip mentality that causes people to hide their feelings and suffer in silence.
Markle explained how difficult it was to tell her husband how she was feeling: “I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it, to Harry especially, because I know how much loss he's suffered. But I knew that if I didn't say it that I would do it—and I just didn't want to be alive anymore.”
Prince Harry shared that this sent him to a very dark place himself and that he didn’t know how to deal with it. He was particularly disappointed in the lack of support he received from his father, who had experienced something similar with his mother, Princess Diana.
After speaking to Prince Harry, Markle decided to go to the royal institution to tell them that she needed to go somewhere to get help. She felt that she needed an inpatient stay at a hospital or somewhere she could be treated for serious depression. Markle says she was told that this wouldn’t be possible, because it wouldn’t look good for the royal family.
There is immeasurable value in influential public figures speaking out about their mental health. In the years after Diana told the story of her bulimia, the number of people who sought treatment doubled. This goes to show how much her openness helped to destigmatize the illness and encourage people to ask for help.
Sources: (The New York Times) (The New York Times) (Insider) (Los Angeles Times) (Elle) (BBC)
See also: How Princess Diana’s sons continue her legacy today
Prior to that in 2018, Prince William also shared that he was dealing with constant sadness while working as an ambulance pilot. He believed that he was impacted by what he saw on the job even more than he realized, and brought the despair he saw home with him each day.
Towards the end of her marriage to Prince Charles, Diana revealed her own story through a series of interviews and a biography written by Andrew Morton. She revealed that she suffered from postnatal depression after giving birth to Prince William, and that the royal family didn’t know what to do with her. She was labeled as unstable.
Being a royal is a full-time job that comes with unbelievable pressure and public scrutiny. It seems like it would take a lot of preparation and support to adjust to public life as a royal, but those who grow up in the family just learn to maintain a stiff upper lip. New family members are thrown in at the deep end, while everyone waits to see if they’ll sink or swim.
Markle told Oprah that the media attacks became severe and the royal family did nothing to protect her. It got to the point where she felt like it was all coming at her just for breathing, and she felt that she didn’t want to be alive anymore.
Whether it’s 1991 or 2021, it seems that the British crown struggles to support family members who are struggling with their mental health.
Despite these admissions, Prince Harry told Oprah that both his father and his brother are trapped within the royal system. They are both heirs to the throne and he sympathizes with them because they don’t have his freedom to speak out and step away.
Given the media scrutiny, lack of freedom, and lack of support for those struggling within the family, it's no wonder that several royals have spoken out about struggles with their mental health. Click through this gallery to see what they had to say.
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After the explosive release of Prince Harry's book, it seems like all of the royal family's dirty secrets are out in the open (again). The supposed environment of social pressure, mental health stigma, and even racism has been put forward for all to examine. And yet there have been ample implications in the past that being a royal is not all it's cracked up to be.
Given the media scrutiny, lack of freedom, and lack of support for those struggling within the family, it's no wonder that several royals have spoken out about struggles with their mental health. Click through this gallery to see what they had to say.