Every Time Harry and Meghan Were Real About Mental Health

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle talk openly about mental health. They join the conversations, they help to end the stigmas that surrounds mental health and they open up the conversation for the rest of us.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made it clear that they are passionate about many things. For Meghan, it’s all about empowering and educating girls and women, while Harry is always striving to continue his late mother’s legacy with his work in Africa raising AIDS and HIV awareness and ridding the world of mines, as well as his baby (no, not Archie and Lili), the Invictus Games, and what it does for injured, wounded and sick servicemen and women.

Together, the Sussexes are devoted to mental health education. The self-care movement is growing and these two royals have been an important part of that. Harry and Meghan stand by the belief that communication is crucial and talking about it — and listening for and to it — is essential to help normalize the issue.

Here are all the ways Harry and Meghan got real about mental health and helped make it a regular part of everyday conversations.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry looking serious at an outdoor event

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The explosive Oprah Winfrey interview

In March 2021, Harry and Meghan stunned the world when they gave an honest, unfiltered interview with Oprah Winfrey. The televised event, which garnered a whopping 96.4 million of viewers across the globe, featured numerous shocking revelations, including the fact that there were "concerns and conversations" about Archie's skin colour prior to his birth. Meghan also opened up about how she sought mental health resources after contemplating suicide, but was turned down repeatedly by senior members of the palace. We can't even imagine the strength it took to reveal these things to a global audience.

Meghan Markle, looking serious, at an outdoor event

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Meghan reveals grief from miscarriage

In November 2020, Meghan penned a deeply personal essay for the New York Times in which she revealed she'd suffered a miscarriage that July. She wrote the op-ed in an attempt to break the enduring silence around a still-taboo subject. “Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she wrote. “In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage. Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry smile and wave for the cameras

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That time they left England and moved to California

It's safe to say to say 2020 was a whirlwind year for the Sussexes. In January, they announced they'd be stepping down from royal duties. By March, they'd officially moved to Meghan's native California after a few weeks of living quietly in Canada. It was clear the couple were exhausted from the constant media scrutiny and tabloid attacks, something that is exponentially worse in the UK than it is in the US. They made not have made a direct statement about the move being related to mental health, but their actions spoke volumes.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry cozy up at an event

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Duchess Meghan gets real

In 2019, Meghan admitted the negative press had gotten to her, but "showing vulnerability is not a weakness," Bryony Gordon of The Telegraph wrote about the duchess, but rather, it's "one of humanity's greatest strengths." And by being that open, it allows women to also feel they can do the same. It's one of the things Meghan and Harry believe: that the conversation surrounding mental health should be constant so it becomes increasingly commonplace.

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Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran unite

Also in 2019, Harry teamed up with Ed Sheeran on World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), but it took a minute for the singer to realize he and the royal weren't exactly on the same page from the get-go. That being said, the gingers eventually got their point across to their fans, that no one should suffer in silence. "Share how you're feeling, ask how someone is doing and listen for the answer. Be willing to ask for help when you need it and know that we are all in this together." Because everyone's mental health needs to be acknowledged.

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Playing catch-up

Harry also spent World Mental Health Day that year in Nottingham, visiting two programs to see how kids are learning about emotional well-being. He also reconnected with students he met during a previous visit to hear how they progressed and are now paying it forward as role models to young girls.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry exchanging vows on their wedding day

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Amplifying mental health awareness

To round out WMHD in 2019, Harry and Meghan shared a wedding photo in a post dedicated to a mental health awareness workshop hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby — the man who officiated their big day in 2018. The event at Lambeth Palace "focused on how the church and community organizations can encourage youth to have an open conversation about their mental health, and how their faith and community can play a key role in that." Welby is also the man that baptized their son, Archie, so obviously whatever he does, Harry and Meghan will support him.

Duchess Meghan at podium with two microphones

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Media madness

In that now famous documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, the Duchess got candid about all the negative comments she'd received from the media while pregnant and after giving birth and how it's taken quite a toll on her mental well-being. The duchess admitted it'd been a struggle, but she was still classy enough to remember her manners, thanking journalist Tom Bradby for asking how she's doing "because not many people have asked if I'm OK." Aw.

Duchess Kate, Prince William, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan

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Royal reunion with Prince William and Duchess Kate

Harry and Meghan may have separated from Prince William and Duchess Kate and moved out of Kensington Palace in 2019 (prior to their big move to the US), but that didn't mean the four royals no longer shared the same common goals. The Sussexes and Cambridges came together to support the initiative, Every Mind Matters, and used their voices to share a message that encourages everyone to take the simple steps to take care of their mental health and support those around them whose mental well-being may be suffering. While the foursome no longer work together, charity-wise, there's no doubt it's still of great importance to them all.

Prince Harry speaking while Duchess Meghan looks on

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Making a statement

It had been going on for too long and Harry and Meghan finally had it. The Duke of Sussex decided it was time for them to finally take stand against the British tabloids, who have, to put it mildly, been treating them — more specifically, Meghan — like crap. "There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives," Harry said in 2019. "Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people." Harry likened what was going on with Meghan to what happened to his mother, and wasn't about to let that happen again. "I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan taking part in exercise

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Positive vibes

On Harry and Meghan's 2019 visit to Africa, they participated in an expert tips for a divorce-proof marriage mental health exercise that promotes positive thinking and also revealed that they each wind down their days with reflection and meditation. Just two royals, practicing what they preach. Gotta love it.

Prince Harry chatting with people in kitchen

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Preach, Prince Harry

There was that time in 2019 when Harry took to Instagram to applaud the amazing work the YMCA England & Wales does with regards to them "smashing the stigma that surrounds mental health" and their continued efforts to "keep normalizing the conversation." He added his own two cents in an all-important reminder: "that it's okay to not be okay" and "how we think determines how we act, how we feel, and how we treat ourselves and those around us." Hear, hear.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry sitting side by side

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Wishing wellness

May is Mental Health Awareness month in the U.K., and in honour of that in 2019, the Sussexes put a spotlight on more than a dozen accounts that strive to make the world a better place and "promote mental well-being, mental fitness, body positivity, self-care, and the importance of human connection." Amen.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan at horse stables

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Animal kingdom

During their royal visit to Morocco in 2019, Harry and Meghan toured the Royal Equestrian Club in Rabat, which provides equine therapy to children with disabilities and those with mental health challenges, and also met with the young people who use and benefit from the facility. Plus, any reason to see the animal-loving Sussexes do their thing is fine by us.

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Supporting mental health for boys and men

While in Melbourne that same year, the royals met with Hunter Johnson, the founder of the Man Cave, "a preventative mental health and emotional intelligence" program for boys and young men, and praised him for all his much-needed work.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry speaking with people at cafe

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Amplifying mental health resources in New Zealand

During their tour in the South Pacific, the royal couple were keen on seeing how New Zealanders who work in the field of mental health are doing, so they met with young Kiwis from various organizations dedicated to advocating for those who struggle. Harry acknowledged the wonderful work of a particular young man and his peer-support program, while Meghan applauded everyone for their "excellent work," and wore a 1737 button, which promotes the helpline available for anyone who needs mental health support from a trained counsellor.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry laughing

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Supporting mental health locally

Five months after receiving their titles in 2018, the duke and duchess visited Sussex for the first time. One of their engagements was to the Joff Youth Centre, which offers teens mental health support and a space to relax. The centre was also working on a national initiative that would "give young people a voice on issues and policies around mental health and emotional wellbeing," and it's clear the royals were fans.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry at gala with other guests

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Raising awareness, raising money

Sometimes work can be glamorous for the royals. Take a gala they attended, which served as a fundraiser for mental health awareness as well as marked the centenary of the end of the First World War. The concert supported three charities that work to support military veterans facing mental health challenges: Help for Heroes, Combat Stress and Heads Together. Sounds like the perfect date night.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan smiling together

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Secret meeting with folks living with PTSD

Two months before they were married, Harry and Meghan secretly met with traumatized war veterans who have struggled to find help after their mental health deteriorated. And Harry admitted the stories he and Meghan heard "shocked [them] to the core." It's been one of Harry's missions, to support everyone who wears or wore a uniform which is why the royals partnered with The North Essex Veterans Mental Health Network for TILS, the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Services, which aims to give servicemen and women everything they need in one place.

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Showing up for positive changes in sports

While in Lancashire, Harry made mental health awareness a part of two stops — the first was when he expert tips for a divorce-proof marriage visited a project called My Place, which teaches teens mindfulness techniques and encourages them to work towards improving areas for wildlife which will, hopefully, improve their own well-being. Harry, who has long supported sport for positive change, also met with the football and wheelchair basketball teams at the University of Central Lancashire to learn more about how the facilities have helped people with their mental health and confidence.

Prince Harry as a toddler sitting on Princess Diana's lap

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In treatment after his mom’s death

In 2017, Harry revealed he was in therapy (and we recently learned it was Meghan who urged him to seek treatment), further proving there's nothing wrong with asking for help. It wasn't just his mother's death that caused him to suffer but the two tours he served in Afghanistan acted as triggers, and he knew he needed help to get a handle on his mental health and deal with the grief and loss he buried deep.