Meghan Markle reveals she suffered a miscarriage
Meghan Markle #MeghanMarkle
LONDON — Meghan Markle on Wednesday said that she suffered a miscarriage, writing in an article of her “unbearable grief” and society’s need for empathy at a time of huge loss and isolation.
In an opinion article titled “The Losses We Share” published in The New York Times, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, wife of Prince Harry, revealed that her miscarriage occurred in July.
She describes a normal morning feeding her dogs, taking her vitamins and changing son Archie’s diaper, before feeling a sharp cramp.
“I dropped to the floor,” Markle, 39, wrote. Adding, she had a “sense that something was not right. I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.”
“Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand,” she wrote. “Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
“Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she added.
About 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, according to data from the Mayo Clinic, a U.S. nonprofit academic medical center.
Despite the “staggering commonality of this pain,” wrote Markle, “the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”
Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
Her deeply personal disclosure, Markle writes, comes amid a wider discussion on the importance of asking each other “Are you OK?” during a time full of tragedy brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and societal reckonings over race.
“This year has brought so many of us to our breaking points. Loss and pain have plagued every one of us in 2020, in moments both fraught and debilitating,” she wrote.
The former actress, whose mother is Black, has previously spoken out on issues of racism and called the police killing in May of George Floyd, “absolutely devastating” after it sparked global protests.
Queen Elizabeth ll, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England. Meghan revealed on Wednesday the royal couple had suffered a miscarriage. Anwar Hussein / WireImage
The image of a biracial, foreign woman welcomed into the bosom of white, traditionalist Britain after she married Prince Harry in a fairytale wedding in 2018, carried enormous symbolism — and signaled greater inclusivity and tolerance.
But since their wedding, the couple have repeatedly complained of toxic media coverage, which their supporters say has at times veered into racist harassment and bullying.
In the op-ed, Markle discussed the Black Lives Matter campaign and the need to reach out to make “the load of grief” lighter. She also touched on the “division” and “polarization” in the aftermath of the recent U.S. election, leaving many “feeling more alone than ever.”
Prince Harry and Buckingham Palace have not commented on the article.
Britain’s royal family has come under scrutiny this month after millions tuned into the latest series of “The Crown” and questions have also surfaced about how a landmark interview with Harry’s mother Princess Diana was obtained, 25 years ago.
The Sussexes, who now live in Los Angeles, went on to stun the British establishment in January by choosing to “step back” from royal duties and move to North America with Archie, who was born in May 2019.
Looking ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday, Markle urged individuals and families to “commit” to showing empathy and checking in on each other’s wellbeing.