Meghan Markle was reportedly left fuming after being asked an unexpected question during her recent interview on CBS’s Sunday Morning. The Duchess of Sussex, alongside Prince Harry, appeared on the show to discuss their latest initiative, The Parents Network, which aims to improve child safety online and support families who have lost children to suicide.
However, the interview took an unanticipated turn when host Jane Pauley brought up Meghan’s previous statements about her mental health struggles. A visibly uncomfortable Meghan responded, “I understand why you are though. I wasn’t expecting it, but I understand why you are. When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey, certainly mine, is to be able to be really open about it.”
Meghan continued, “I haven’t really scraped the surface of my experience but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way. And I would never want someone else to be making those sorts of plans and I would never want someone else not to be believed. So, if me voicing what I have overcome will save someone, or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely check in on them, and not assume that the appearance is good and so everything is okay, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”
Despite Meghan’s composed response, royal commentators speculated that she was caught off guard by the question. Royal author Angela Levin, appearing on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken programme, remarked that Meghan seemed to be struggling to contain her frustration. “I imagine that’s the sort of question, she wasn’t there for that, because she said ‘I did not expect this’. But you could see she couldn’t contain her anger and fury,” Levin noted.
Broadcaster Dan Wootton also weighed in, suggesting that the interview was a significant misstep for Meghan. “It certainly wasn’t a good 43rd birthday for the Duchess of Sussex, was it? For their first sit-down together since Oprah Winfrey, back on CBS with another experienced American TV professional… despite all that, it was a real car crash,” Wootton said.
The interview, which marked Meghan and Harry’s first joint appearance on CBS since their explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, was intended to highlight their new project, but the unexpected question seems to have shifted the focus to Meghan’s emotional reaction.
As the public and media continue to dissect the interview, it remains to be seen how this latest episode will impact the Sussexes’ public image and their ongoing efforts to raise awareness about mental health and online safety.