Meghan Markle just got very really and awfully raw.
By talking about something very personal and awfully painful.
Markle and husband Prince Harry sat down with Jane Pauley for an interview that aired on CBS Sunday Morning on August 4 and touched on a new program called The Parents Network through their Archewell Foundation.
It aims to support parents whose kids have been impacted by traumas related to social media use.
In the course of discussing this important topic, Markle was asked about her own history with thoughts of self-harm.
(If you recall, the Duchess of Sussex said in a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey that she “just didn’t want to be alive anymore” back during the worst period when she was being harassed by the British press and felt very unwanted by The Royal Family.)
Yes, Meghan acknowledged to Pauley, there’s a “through-line” between her experience and that of children affected by harmful situations they encounter on the internet.
She went on to elaborate as follows…
“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.
“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.”
The Duchess of Sussex 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 is okay, then that’s worth it.
“I’ll take a hit for that.”
Markle and Harry are parents to 5-year-old Prince Archie and 3-year-old Princess Lilibet.
The latter has been candid for awhile now over the concerns he has over the safety of both his spouse and these young kids… all of whom exist in the bright glare of both social media and the paparazzi.
“Our kids are young — they’re 3 and 5. They’re amazing,” Markle added with a smile in this same interview. “But all you want to do as parents is protect them…
“So as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there, and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.”
Prince Harry also voiced his general concern during this sit-down.
“At this point, we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder, and even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide,” he said. “That is the terrifying piece of it.”
Markle previously said she contemplated suicide when she was pregnant with Archie.
As we reported a few years ago, some member of the Royal Family expressed grave worry back then that Archie would be born with dark skin.
Just awful stuff.
“I think you have to start somewhere,” Markle said on Sunday of this new program’s modest 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 joyful [and] I love, and one day, right under our roofs, our entire lives change because of something completely out of our control.
“If you look at it through the lens of a parent, there is no way to see that any other way than to try and find a solution.”
The Parents’ Network, according to a press release, hopes to provide a safe and free support network for parents whose children have been harmed by social media.
Following a two-year pilot program, it is now available to use in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
“Over the past two years, alongside our co-founders Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, our team has engaged deeply with parents and young people about the repercussions of social media on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being,” James Holt, the executive director of Archewell, 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 social media’s impact on children.
“We believe in the transformative power of community, and that is why we have created this network — to connect those who face these challenges and offer mutual support.”
