Meghan Markle Says Opening Up About Her Mental Health Was “Worth It”

Trigger warning: This piece contains references to suicidal thoughts.

Meghan Markle keeps getting candid about her mental health. On Aug. 4, the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry were interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning to talk about their latest project, The Parents Network, which aims to support parents whose children have been “affected by social media harms.”

During their sit-down, host Jane Pauley asked Meghan about her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she shared that she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” during her time as a working member of the royal family. While the duchess “wasn’t expecting” to be asked about the famed interview, Meghan said she stands by her decision to open up to Winfrey about her struggles with mental health and thoughts of suicide at the time.

“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,” she said, adding that she hasn’t “really scraped the surface” about her experiences in the British monarchy following her and Harry’s exit from the royal sphere in early 2020.

“I would never want someone else to not be believed,” Meghan continued. “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 OK, then that’s worth it.”

Following Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Winfrey, which was watched by 17 million viewers in the United States alone, the royal family released a statement addressing the duchess’ comments about her mental health, among other revelations.

“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” a Buckingham Palace statement read. “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”

Prince Harry Was “Devastated”

The Duke of Sussex previously spoke of his wife’s mental health struggles in the couple’s 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, revealing that he was “devastated” to learn she had been experiencing suicidal ideation.

“I never thought that it would get to that stage,” he said. “The fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed. I didn’t deal with it particularly well. I dealt with it as ‘institutional Harry’ as opposed to ‘husband Harry.’ And what took over my feelings was my royal role.”

If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or go to their website, suicidepreventionlifeline.org.