Meghan Markle has spoken about her own suicidal thoughts in her first joint interview with Prince Harry in three years.
The Duchess of Sussex, who turns 43 today, has launched a campaign alongside her husband to address child safety online.
In an interview with US broadcaster CBS, the royal family discussed the launch of Parents Network with presenter Jane Pauley and spoke to parents who have lost their children to suicide, which in many cases was linked to the use of social media.
Meghan first said she spoke of suicidal thoughts while a working royal in an explosive interview with Oprah three years ago.
Now she says she hopes her openness will help others and encourage people to ask how their friends are doing.
Harry and Meghan have released a new CBS interview about cyberbullying, with the Duke saying parents should be the ‘first responders’
“There’s a common thread that runs through the process when you’re going through any level of grief or trauma,” Meghan said.
‘Part of your healing journey, and certainly part of mine, is being open about it.
“I haven’t really been able to fully understand my experience. I would never want anyone else to feel that way. I would never want anyone else to make these plans. I would never want anyone else not to be believed.”
“So if me expressing what I’ve overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely care about them, without assuming that appearance is good, without assuming that everything is okay, then I’ll take it.”
The Duchess of Sussex told Oprah in 2021 that she “couldn’t be left alone” and told her husband she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” before claiming Buckingham Palace’s HR department ignored her plea for help because she was not a “paid employee.”
Meghan described how she considered ending her life believing it was “the best thing for everyone,” saying: “I knew if I didn’t say it, I would. I just didn’t want to be alive. And that was a constant thought, very clear and real and terrifying. I remember him rocking me. I told him I needed to go somewhere to get help. I said ‘I’d never felt like that before and I needed to go somewhere.’ And I was told I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
The video also included a clip of Meghan hugging her grieving parents.
She said that after confessing to her husband, she was forced to go to the Royal Albert Hall for a charity event in January 2019, claiming that photos from that night “haunt her.” She told Oprah that she later contacted one of Diana’s best friends, Princess of Wales, because she felt unsupported by the palace.
Meghan said: “When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driver’s licence, my keys – all of that is handed over.” Meghan said Harry had “saved my life” by agreeing to move to Los Angeles.
In the interview, Harry and Meghan spoke to Jane Pauley, while the network filmed them meeting a group of grieving parents.
In the interview, Harry also spoke about the “scariest thing” about social media: “absolutely anyone” can lose a loved one.
‘We always talk about how, in the old days, if there are children under your roof, you know what they’re doing. At least they’re safe.
“But now they could, in the next room, on a tablet or a phone, go down those rabbit holes, and within 24 hours they could be taking their own life.”
A heavily pregnant Meghan sits in a sunny garden to talk to Oprah Winfrey.
Throughout the interview clip with presenter Jane Pauley, the royal couple discuss how parents should protect children from online harm, reflecting on their own experiences with Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
The Duchess said: ‘Our children are young, they are three and five, they are amazing, but all we want to do as parents is protect them.
“And as we see what’s happening in the online space, we know there’s a lot of work to be done there and we’re happy to be able to be part of a change for the better.”
When the announcer adds ‘you hope that when your children ask for help, someone is there to give it to them’, the Duke adds only ‘if you know how to help’.
“We’ve reached a point where almost every parent has to be a first responder,” she said. “And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to spot the signs of a possible suicide. That’s the scary part of it all.”
Responding to host Jane Pauley saying it was a “modest beginning,” Meghan added: “You have to start somewhere. Anyone watching this or anyone who can make a change needs to look through the lens of ‘what if this was my son or daughter?'”
“Your son or daughter comes home happy, whom I love, and one day, right under my roof, our whole life changes because of something that is completely out of my control. And if you look at it as a parent, there’s no other way to look at it than to try to find a solution.”
Meghan opted for a £12,800 Cartier necklace and Ralph Lauren co-ords for the interview.
She previously wore the yellow gold choker with 57 diamonds at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony.
Adding more American brands, Meghan looked summery in matching Ralph Lauren ensembles.
The Duchess paired the £570 Adrien relaxed fit broadcloth shirt in mauve with the brand’s £915 Evanne trousers in the same colour.
Harry and Meghan have released a new CBS interview about cyberbullying, with the Duke saying parents should be the ‘first responders’
Throughout the interview, Meghan also spoke about her “amazing” children: Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
Opting for her signature natural look, Meghan wore her hair in loose waves and highlighted her beauty with a light dusting of makeup.
The mother of two tweezed her eyebrows with a dark pencil while adding highlighter and a creamy foundation to her skin.
A creamy hot pink lip completed the look, while black eyeliner and mascara highlighted her eyes.
For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org for more information. In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)