To honor World Mental Health Day, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex—AKA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—sat down with the Teenager Therapy podcast. The royal couple talked about their own mental health journeys, including navigating new parent life and Meghan’s famous “I am not okay” comment last year.

In 2019, Meghan gave an interview with ITV. When the journalist asked if new mom Meghan was okay, she answered honestly, “Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know? And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed. It’s, um … yeah, I guess,” she said, holding back tears. “Also, thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing.”


A Conversation With Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

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Meghan’s answer resonated with us then—and today. Pregnant women and new moms are vulnerable and it is challenging. And sometimes, it’s easy to lose yourself while caring for a new little one.


Speaking with Teenager Therapy, Meghan reflected on the interview. “I was tired,” she said. “I was just about to give Archie a bath. I was exhausted.”

“I didn’t think about that answer. I just answered honestly. I was in a moment of vulnerability because I was tired—because there was no presentation. It was just, ‘Here’s where I am: I’m a mom with a 4.5-month-old baby and we are tired.’ But I think the reason it resonated with people is because everyone wants to be asked if they’re okay.”

Prince Harry also added that Meghan was still breastfeeding Archie at the time, too. Meghan described the pressure of feeding her son while working. “Between every official engagement I was running back to make sure our son was fed,” she said.

But she added, “a year later I would say yes, I am doing well.”

The royal couple also discussed the effects social media can have on mental health. “I can speak personally too,” said Meghan. “I’m told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world, male or female. Now, eight months of that I wasn’t even visible—I was on maternity leave or with a baby. But what was able to be manufactured and churned out, it’s almost unsurvivable.”

Harry and Meghan said they hope to use their platform to de-stigmatize conversations about mental health and therapies. “Vulnerability is not a weakness, showing vulnerability in today’s world especially is a strength,” said Harry. “The more we talk about it the more it becomes normal, and it is normal.”

We agree. Thank you for addressing this important topic and normalizing the conversation for all.