Meghan Markle Reveals Why She Opened Up About Past Suicidal Thoughts: Part of My ‘Healing Journey’

Meghan Markle is getting candid about sharing her past struggle with suicidal thoughts. During her Sunday, August 4, interview on CBS Sunday Morning, the Duchess of Sussex explained why she opened up about thoughts of self harm in 2021.

“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,” Meghan, 43, said. “I really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans and I would never want someone else to not be believed.”

She also added, “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 is OK, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”

Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, appeared on CBS to discuss their Archewell Foundation’s newest initiative called The Parents Network, which gives support to parents whose children have dealt with traumas because of social media use. The former actress has been open about dealing with online criticism and how it has negatively affected her.

In a 2021 interview, Meghan reflected on life in the royal family and admitted, “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. That was clear and real and frightening and constant thought.” Her suicidal thoughts came amid relentless online bullying in the years after she and Prince Harry went public with their relationship 2016. The couple stepped down as senior royals and moved to the United States in 2020.

“I think [it’s] so important for people to remember … is you have no idea what’s going on for someone behind closed doors. No idea,” Meghan also said in the 2021 CBS interview. “Even the people that smile and shine the brightest lights. You need to have compassion for what is actually potentially going on.”

Harry, 39, made the decision to move his family away from the U.K. after watching Meghan struggle for years. “You made a decision that saved, certainly saved my life, and saved all of us,” the Suits alum told her husband. She also claimed that the royal family refused to get her help for her mental health when she asked for it.

“I went to the institution. And I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help,” Meghan shared. “I said, ‘I never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere.’ I was told that I couldn’t. That it wouldn’t be good for the institution.” She then took her issues to human resources and recalled, “I remember this conversation like it was yesterday, because they 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.’”

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).