Meghan Markle recalls suicidal struggle during CBS sitdown with Prince Harry

Prince Harry And Meghan Markle sat down for a new joint interview during the Sunday, August 4, episode CBS Sunday morning.

Harry, 39, and Meghan, who turned 43 on Sunday, joined Jane Pauley to discuss a new social media initiative for kids called The Parents Network.

“All you want to do as parents is protect them. And because we can see what’s happening online, we know there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Meghan said in the interview. “We are happy to be part of a change for good.”

Harry then said: ‘At this point we have reached the stage where almost every parent has to be a first responder, and even the best first responders in the world would not be able to recognize the signs of possible suicide. That’s the scary part of it.”

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Meghan and Harry specifically pointed to social media as an indicator of teens dying by suicide. Meghan previously struggled with similar thoughts while pregnant with son Prince Archie, now 5, the news of which she initially shared in her 2021 CBS interview.

“There is a through line, I think. If you’ve experienced any level of pain or trauma, I think part of our healing journey, and certainly part of mine, is being able to be really open about it,” Meghan said. “I haven’t really scratched the surface of my experience yet, but I do think that I would never want anyone else to feel that way and I would never want anyone else to make those kinds of plans.”

She continued, “I would never want anyone else not to be believed. If by expressing what I have overcome I can save someone or encourage someone in their life to really look at them honestly and not assume ‘the appearance is good, so everything is fine’ then that’s worth it. I’ll get a slap for that.”

CBS had previously teased in a statement that the interview would allow the couple — who tied the knot in May 2018 and are parents to son Archie and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3 — to “introduce a program aimed at supporting parents whose children are affected by online harm.” The Parents Network officially launched on Sunday under Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation.

“I think you have to start somewhere,” Meghan said of the program’s humble beginnings. “Look at it through the lens of, ‘What if it was my daughter? What if it was my son? My son or my daughter, who comes home happy [and] I love it, and one day, right under our roof, our entire lives change because of something we have absolutely no control over. When you look at it through the lens of a parent, there is no way to see it other than trying to find a solution.”

The parent networkAccording to a press release, it aims to provide a safe and free support network for parents whose children have been harmed by social media. After a two-year pilot program, it is now available for use in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

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“Over the past two years, our team, together with our co-founders Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have been intensively speaking to parents and young people about the impact of social media on their mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. being,” James Holt, Archewell’s executive director said in a statement. “It became strikingly clear that there is a critical need for connection and community among those who understand the pain, fear and isolation caused by the impact of social media on children. We believe in the transformative power of community, which is why we created this network – to connect and provide mutual support to those facing these challenges.”

Harry and Meghan have been vocal about advocating for children negatively affected by social media. In October 2023, they appeared on a panel with grieving parents during a World Mental Health Day in New York City.

“A year ago we met some families, and at the time it was impossible not to be in tears hearing their stories because it’s so devastating,” Meghan said at the time.

She added: “But I will say that I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this is not in our immediate future, but I also fear how it continues to change and this will continue to lie before us. from U.S.”

Harry and Meghan’s interview on Sunday marks the first time they have taken part in a joint televised sit-down since their tell-all in March 2021. At the time, the couple revealed behind-the-scenes details about their departure from the royal family a year earlier, and spoke out publicly for the first time about the drama surrounding their departure and subsequent move to the United States, amid their ongoing disagreements with Harry’s family.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.