The following article contains discussion of suicidal thoughts.
Prince Harry didn’t seem to be on the ball during a recent joint interview with his wife Meghan Markle. The former royals sat down with CBS Sunday Morning for an episode set to air on August 4, 2024, and a clip teasing the conversation shows Harry with his head in the clouds while Meghan is poised and ready to go. Granted, Meghan has much more experience in front of the camera thanks to her work on “Suits” and acting career on television, Harry’s not exactly new to these situations. This isn’t his first rodeo.
THIS SUNDAY: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex talk with Jane Pauley this Sunday about a new program supporting parents of children affected by online harm. Jane also interviews parents in the pilot program about its impact on their healing. pic.twitter.com/YNRMA86I65
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) August 1, 2024
In the opening moments of the clip, Harry looks checked out as Meghan talks about their children, Archie and Lilibet. The prince is staring off into the distance and doesn’t appear to be tuned into the conversation with CBS anchor Jane Pauley. While an aloof Harry is gazing up and down at some random object off-screen, Meghan is delivering engaging remarks about being parents with a smile. In short, she’s bringing her A-game while Harry is off in dream land. It’s a telling sign that the couple isn’t always picture perfect.
However, to his credit, Harry does snap back into the conversation, and he pulled out of his distracted nosedive to deliver somber remarks about online harm.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are trying to protect kids from the internet
After spending the beginning of the clip looking thoroughly disinterested, Prince Harry came alive when talking about the dangers that children face online, and how it’s difficult for parents to know what to do. When Pauley noted that she hopes children know how to ask for help, Harry cautioned that the matter is much more perilous because, a lot of times, the adults have no clue how to navigate the situations that kids face on a day-to-day basis. The grown-ups don’t even know how to help, and that’s where the couple hopes to step in with their Archewell Foundation.
“At this point, we’ve got to the stage where every parent needs to be a first responder,” Harry said (via People). “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.”
Again, Harry is much more alert after spending the opening of the clip looking distracted. He is clearly passionate about protecting all children, not just his own, and it shows in his concerned remarks. Of course, unlike the other more rigid members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan have not shied away from the topic of mental health.
Meghan Markle opened up about her mental health struggles with Oprah
During Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s headline-grabbing interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan revealed that the horrible treatment she faced as part of the royal family led to her contemplate suicide. The Duchess of Sussex confessed to Oprah that she hit a terrifying low point with her mental health, but when she turned to the royals for help, they rebuffed her.
“I remember how [Harry] just cradled me,” Meghan said (via Elle). “I went to the institution and said that I needed to go somewhere to get help, said that I’ve never felt this way before and I need to go somewhere, and they said I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
The institution that Meghan is referring to is, of course, the royal family. Their lack of concern for Meghan’s mental health led the Sussexes to speak out with the Oprah interview and dedicate their philanthropic efforts towards preventing suicide. As part of those efforts, the couple are set to visit Columbia in early August 2024 where Glamour reports Harry and Meghan will assist with efforts to combat cyberbullying and online exploitation.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org