Meghan Markle Says Prince Harry Saved Her When Mental Health Hit Its 'Worst Point'

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle recently shared how her husband, Prince Harry saved her when her mental health hit an all-time low. She shared that he connected her with a woman who could provide the help she needed. Markle also said it's very important for people to be honest about their mental health needs.

Markle previously opened up about how the attention of the British press and the world on her relationship with Harry affected her mental health. She revealed that she considered suicide before choosing to step down from her senior royal duties. Markle also shared that she reached out to the royal family institution for help but was politely rebuffed.

Prince Harry has also shared his own struggles with mental health and claimed that the royal family institution discouraged him from seeking therapy for most of his life. He also credited Markle for inspiring him to begin therapy in 2017 and said it has really helped.

Read on to find out more.

During a recent episode of Markle's "Archetypes" podcast, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that Prince Harry saved her when her mental health was at an all-time low. She said per Us Weekly, "I mean, I think at my worst point, being finally connected to someone that [helped]. You know, my husband had found a referral for me to call. And I called this woman. She didn't know I was even calling her."

Markle continued, "She was checking out at the grocery store. I could hear the little beep, beep, and I was like, 'Hi,' and I'm introducing myself. You can literally [hear her] going, 'Wait, sorry. I’m just [confused]. Who is this?' [I was saying] I need help and she could hear the dire state that I was in."

The former actress stated that she feels it's very important for people "to be really honest about what it is that we need" regarding our mental health. She also said, "And [it's important] to not be afraid to make peace with that, to ask for it."

Markle has previously spoken about how the intense scrutiny from the British press and the worldwide attention on her relationship with Harry affected her mental health. She had a tell-all interview with CBS News in 2021, where she revealed details about how she suffered silently.

Markle said per Us, "I just didn't see a solution. I would sit up at night, and I was just, like, I don't understand how all of this is being churned out. I realized that it was all happening just because I was breathing." Markle also admitted that she had considered suicide before she and Harry decided to step back from their senior royal positions.

The former "Suits" actress continued, "I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, especially, because I know how much loss he's suffered. But I knew that if I didn't say it, that I would do it. I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought."

During the tell-all interview, Markle also said that she'd reached out to the "institution" of the royal family for help regarding mental health and was refused assistance. She said, "I said that I've never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution."

Markle also explained that she'd also gone to the palace's HR department but was turned away because she's not a "paid employee." The "Remember Me" actress said they told her, "My heart goes out to you, but there's nothing we can do to protect you because you're not a paid employee of the institution."

Prince Harry has also previously shared his own experience with mental health struggles. During a May 2021 episode of his series, "The Me You Can't See," Harry claimed he was actively discouraged from seeking therapy for most of his life as a senior member of the royal family. He said he always wanted to be "normal as opposed to Prince Harry, just being Harry."

He also credited Markle for inspiring him to meet a therapist in 2017. He said per GPB News, "I quickly established that if this relationship was going to work, that I was going to have to deal with my past because there was anger there and it wasn't anger at her. It was just anger and she recognized it. She saw it. So how do I fix this? And it was a case of, 'You need to go back to the past, go back to the point of trauma, deal with it, process it and then move forward.'"