Meghan Markle Opens Up About Past Suicidal Thoughts and ‘Healing Journey’ in CBS Interview

Warning: The following post contains discussions of suicidal ideation.

In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle revealed she had considered suicide while working as a British royal. And in an interview on the August 4 episode of CBS News Sunday Morning, Markle discussed her “healing journey” since that emotional low — and why she talked about it in the first place.

“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 explained to CBS News Sunday Morning’s Jane Pauley. “And I, you know, haven’t 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. So if me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourages 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. I’ll take a hit for that.”

The new interview comes as Markle and husband Prince Harry launch The Parents’ Network through the Archewell Foundation, their philanthropic organization. The Parents’ Network is an online community for parents whose children have suffered from the harmful effects of social media.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are launching the Parents’ Network alongside parents whose children have died by suicide caused directly or indirectly by social media, some of whom also spoke out in the CBS News Sunday Morning segment.

“It could happen to absolutely anybody,” Harry told Pauley. “I mean, we always talk about in the olden days, if your kids were under your roof, you knew what they were up to. At least, they were safe, right? And now, they can be in the next-door room on a tablet or on a phone and can be going down these rabbit holes, and before you know it, within 24 hours, they could be taking their life.”

The prince added: “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. That is the terrifying piece of this.”

As the parents of Lilibet and Archie, the Sussexes are especially invested in the problem. “Our kids are young — they’re 3 and 5, they’re amazing — but all you want to do as parents is protect them,” Markle said. “And 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.”

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.