Prince Harry filled with guilt and ‘hating himself’ for his response to Meghan Markle’s suicidal thoughts

The Duke of Sussex revealed his inner turmoils amid her wife’s declarations os ending her life

Prince Harry and Doria Ragland, Meghan Markle’s mother, are speaking out about the height of the Duchess of Sussex’s problems inside the royal family.

In the fourth episode of the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which debuted on Thursday, Ragland said, “I remember her telling me that, that she had wanted to take her own life. That really broke my heart.”

Ragland then connected Meghan’s mental health issues to how she had been treated by the world’s media.

In March 2021, Meghan Markle made headlines when she told Oprah that the pressure during her time in the royal family made her feel suicidal. She spoke about a specific event, a January 2019 trip to a charity event at the Royal Albert Hall, as a night where she opened up to Prince Harry about her feelings, before they left for the event. Photos showing Meghan and Harry looking poised despite, as she told Oprah, “how tightly his knuckles are gripped around mine,” became a symbol of the difference between the couple’s public composure and private turmoil.

From the Archive: Diana and the P

In the fourth episode of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan, Harry opens up about that period in their relationship, expressing regret for the way he handled Meghan’s admission at the time. “I was devastated, I knew that she was struggling—that we were both struggling—but I never thought that it would get to that stage. And the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed. I didn’t deal with it particularly well. I dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry,” he said. “What took over my feelings was my royal role. I had been trained to worry more about ‘What are people gonna think if we don’t go to this event? We’re going to be late.’ Looking back at it now, I hate myself for it.” He added, “What she needed from me was so much more than I was able to give.”

Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, also opened up about her memories of that period, using the nickname “H” that Meghan and her friends use for Harry. “I remember her telling me that—that she’d wanted to take her own life,” she said. “And that really broke my heart because I knew that it was bad, but to constantly be picked at by these vultures, picking away at her spirit, that she would actually think of not wanting to be here. That’s not an easy one for a mom to hear, you know, and I can’t protect her. H can’t protect her.”