Why Meghan shared her miscarriage with the world – and where to find support for pregnancy loss
Watch: Meghan Markle reveals why she decided to share her miscarriage experience publicly
Meghan Markle has revealed why she opted to share her miscarriage with the world, explaining that she hoped to be able to "help other people".
The final three episodes of Prince Harry and Meghan's bombshell Netflix series, Harry & Meghan, launched this morning, giving an incredible "behind closed doors" glimpse into the couple's lives.
In the final episode of the six-part series, the couple and their close family and friends discuss the miscarriage Meghan suffered in 2020 and the impact it had on them.
"I was pregnant and I really wasn't sleeping," Meghan said of the moment. "The first morning we woke up in our new home is when I miscarried."
Meghan also shared the reasons behind her decision to reveal her pregnancy loss to the public, explaining how she hoped it might help others in the same situation.
"So when I reveal things that are moments of vulnerability, when it comes to having a miscarriage and maybe having felt ashamed about that, like it's okay, you're human. It's okay to talk about that.
"I could make the choice to never talk about those things or I could make the choice to say that with all the bad that comes with this, the good is being able to help other people.
"The point of life is connection and community like that," she added.
Meghan's mother Doria Ragland went on to share how well she thought her daughter coped with the upset of losing her first child.
"I thought she was brave and courageous, but that doesn't surprise me because she is brave and courageous," she said.
Also discussing the tragic experience, Prince Harry went on to explain that he believed the stress of dealing with the Daily Mail coverage of her relationship with her father could have been a contributing factor to the cause of the miscarriage.
"I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the Mail did," he said. "I watched the whole thing. Now do we absolutely know the miscarriage was caused by that? Of course we don’t, but bearing in mind the stress, the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnancy how many weeks in she was, I can say, from what I saw, that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.”
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Meghan originally opted to share that she had experienced a miscarriage towards the end of 2020, in a deeply personal article about the loss and pain of that year.
Writing in the New York Times, she explained she miscarried earlier that year after feeling a “sharp cramp” while she looked after her then one-year-old son, Archie.
“I dropped to the floor with him [Archie] in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right,” she wrote.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.”
In the documentary series Meghan's friend Abigail Spencer also discusses the moment she dropped to the floor after experiencing the miscarriage.
"She was holding Archie and she just fell to the ground," she said.
In her original, brutally honest account of her and Prince Harry’s experience of losing their unborn baby, Meghan shared that she learnt about 10 to 20 in every 100 women will miscarry.
But despite the number of families who will go through a similar experience, Meghan says the “unbearable grief” many suffer is often carried in silence, and under an umbrella of “unwarranted” shame.
“Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few,” she wrote.
“In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage.Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”
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In speaking so honestly about her own experiences, baby loss charity, Tommy’s said Meghan has gone some way in helping to break down the taboos that surround miscarriage and baby loss.
“Baby loss at any stage in pregnancy is one of the most heart-breaking things a family can experience – and as Meghan Markle said, it’s experienced by many but talked about by few,” says Tommy’s midwife Sophie King.
Tommy’s estimates that one in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, but according to King the subject remains something of a taboo.
“So mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a vital step in breaking down that stigma and shame,” she explains. “Meghan’s essay praises the bravery of parents who share their stories, and those who prefer to grieve privately can still find comfort and connection in reading about others’ experiences. Her honesty and openness today send a powerful message to anyone who loses a baby: this may feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone.”
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Where to find support
If you've experienced pregnancy loss, support is available from hospital counselling services.
Numerous charities also have helplines offering support:
The Miscarriage Association: Provides help and information to anyone affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy. 01924 200 799, Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. It also has an online chat service and support groups
Tommy’s: provides pregnancy health information to parents. 0800 0147 800, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Petals – The Baby Loss Counselling Charity: 0300 688 0068. Counselling is free but calls are charged at the local rate.
Cruse Bereavement Care helps people understand their grief and cope with their loss. They have a helpline (0808 808 1677) and a network of local branches where you can find support.
Sands UK: For information and support you can also visit the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, Sands UK.
