While speaking on the docuseries “The Me You Can’t See,” which released on May 21, 2021, Prince Harry revealed that his wife, Meghan Markle, was distressed enough to want to take her own life while she was a senior working member of the royal family. At one point, she even told Harry how she would do it. In the docuseries, Harry and Meghan also open up about mental health and their journey toward therapy and healing. Previously, the couple had been frank about their struggles during their controversial Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021.
In cooperation with Winfrey, the former working royals embarked on a docuseries project for mental health awareness. The show, “The Me You Can’t See,” is executive produced by Oprah and Harry and features the two discussing emotional well-being and mental health with a number of celebrity guests, including Lady Gaga, Glenn Close, and NBA players DeMar DeRozan and Langston Galloway.
The show will also feature Oprah and Harry opening up about their own experiences with mental health. Focusing on making sure viewers know they are not alone in the struggle that sometimes happens with mental health, the show’s goal is to challenge stigmas and provide insights into how viewers can start the path to treatment.
The series is debuting not long after Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Winfrey, but the topic of mental health is one near and dear to Harry’s heart. Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, was known for her outspokenness regarding mental health and beloved by the public for her candid and honest conversations about mental well-being.
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Prince Harry, Meghan Markle (2019), (Paul Grover – WPA Pool/Getty Images)During the high-profile Winfrey interview, The Sun reported that Meghan revealed that her mental health suffered while she was living in the U.K. and that she was not given the help she needed when she felt suicidal. Harry gave further details about this in the docuseries “The Me You Can’t See,” elaborating,
“Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life. The scariest thing for her was her clarity of thought. She hadn’t ‘lost it.’ She wasn’t crazy. She wasn’t self-medicating, be it through pills or through alcohol.”
Harry continued, “She was absolutely sober. She was completely sane. Yet in the quiet of night, these thoughts woke her up. I’m somewhat ashamed of the way that I dealt with them.”
Meghan did not go through with it because of how “unfair” it would be to Harry after the loss of his mother, Diana, in 1997. “The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum and to now be put in a position of losing another woman in my life, with a baby inside of her, our baby,” he added.
According to Hello Magazine, Meghan revealed during the March 2021 Winfrey interview that suicide was “a very real and frightening constant thought.” When she went to the royal family for help, she “was told that I couldn’t, because it wouldn’t be good for the institution.” About this and his own reaction, Harry said he felt ashamed for how everyone was reacting.
Princess Diana, Prince William, Prince Harry (1993), (Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty Images)
After Meghan revealed that she felt very suicidal before a show at the Royal Albert Hall, she reportedly said that she forced herself to go to the event with Harry because she felt she couldn’t be left alone for fear of what she might do.
“When my wife and I were in those chairs gripping each other’s hand the moment the lights go down, Meghan starts crying, I’m feeling sorry for her but I’m also really angry with myself that we’re stuck in this situation,” Harry said in the series.
He elaborated further, “I was ashamed that it got this bad. I was ashamed to go to my family because to be honest with you like a lot of other people my age could probably relate to, I know that I’m not going to get from my family what I need.”
In the series, Harry also criticized his family and his father, Prince Charles, for not doing anything to help Harry through his own struggles while growing up. “My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, ‘Well, it was like that for me so it’s going to be like that for you,'” he said. He then added, “That doesn’t make sense. Just because you suffered, that doesn’t mean your kids have to suffer. Actually quite the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences you had, you can make it right for your kids.”
Harry further stated that he turned away from being a senior member of the royal family to “break the cycle of grief” that has been passed down through the generations, and that he has been in therapy for “four or five” years.
Have you watched the new docuseries yet? If you have, tell us what your thoughts are about it, and be sure to ask your friends what they think as well.
If you or anybody you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please call Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit befrienders.org to find your local suicide prevention hotline. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.