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Mental health issues are at the forefront of projects that Kate Middleton and Prince William patronize. However, one commentator claims Kate and William turned a “blind eye” to Meghan Markle’s admission of past mental health issues in 2021. Here’s why.

Kate Middleton and Prince William ignored Meghan Markle’s mental health within the royal family, claims a commentator

Kate Middleton and Prince William lead a coalition of eight mental health charity partners. Per the royal family website, these are Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families; Best Beginnings; CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably; Contact (a military mental health coalition); Mind; Place2Be; The Mix; and YoungMinds. 

The topic is on the couple’s professional and personal radar. Yet it appeared they largely ignored the mental health struggles Meghan Markle admitted to in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. Royal commentator Daniela Elser of News.com.au claims the couple dropped the ball.

“One of the Waleses’ key pillars is mental health. My question is, how can their work on this be taken seriously? So long as they fail to address the duchess’ mental health admissions in any way?” Elser asked.

She continued, “William and Kate escaped any similar accusations or bouts of front-page finger-wagging for spearheading this charity push. Continually, they turn a blind eye to Meghan’s former mental health woes.”

The royal commentator concludes the topic would be an “absolute minefield for the Prince and Princess of Wales to tip-toe through. They’d “have to find some way of addressing the Duchess of Sussex’s revelations while also not reviving one of the most damaging chapters in royal history.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton ‘not excused from at least trying’ to address Meghan Markle’s admitted mental health struggles

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in central London, on March 12, 2018.
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in central London on March 12, 2018 | Paul Grover/Getty Images

Daniela Elser believes that Prince William and Kate Middleton “don’t want to put the Oprah interview behind them so much as to want to lock it in a trunk to be stored in a secure attic for which they will permanently lose the key.”

William and Kate never explicitly addressed Meghan Markle’s claims she experienced suicidal thoughts while a senior royal. However, Elser claims, “that does not excuse them from at least trying.” William and Kate

Elser wrote the “institution [William and Kate] represent never addressed claims that one of its former frontline stars was left so traumatized by her experience she ended up experiencing suicidal thoughts.”

The commentator claims the former Suits star joins royal wives whose experiences “left them in an extraordinarily dark place.” These included Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, and Sarah, Duchess of York.

Cosmopolitan shared an official statement from Buckingham Palace regarding the interview. It read, “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning.”

It continued, “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”

Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey she was ‘ashamed’ to admit her thoughts to Prince Harry

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry opened up about royal life to Oprah Winfrey in a 2021 interview. However, the Duchess of Sussex claims she was the victim of “character assassination.” Ultimately, the pressure drove her to the point of self-harm.

“Look, I was really ashamed to say it at the time. I was ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. Especially because I know how much loss he has suffered,” Meghan says in an ITV News clip. “But I knew that if I didn’t say it, then I would do it. I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”

In the interview, Meghan and Harry alleged the royal family had skewed views about race, discussed their experiences with Kate Middleton and Prince William, and explained why they ultimately left royal life behind.

How to get help: To connect with mental health resources near you, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website.