Clik here to view.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced they will be supporting the mental health charity Mind, days after the organisation criticised Piers Morgan for saying he didn’t believe the duchess’ comments about suicidal thoughts.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation has named new causes it will be funding, with UK-based Mind featuring on the list alongside online racial justice movement Colour of Change.
Other causes set to receive support from the Sussexes are The PressPad Charitable Foundation and URL Media.
Archewell made the announcement on Friday, less than a week after their televised two-hour tell-all primetime show with Oprah Winfrey was broadcast.
During the programme, Meghan told the chat show host she had been suicidal while in the royal family and claimed she received no help after telling staff about her suffering.
She and Harry also made explosive allegations of racist comments about their one-year-old son, Archie.
Mind was among those who supported Meghan’s openness about her mental health struggles during the interview.
They tweeted: ‘We applaud Meghan Markle for speaking out about her experiences of suicidal thoughts. We know that opening up in this way can be really difficult, but when high-profile people talk about these experiences, it helps to break down the stigma around mental health issues.’
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The charity also condemned Piers Morgan for saying he didn’t believe the duchess – comments that eventually led to the presenter leaving his post on Good Morning Britain.
A statement from Mind said at the time: ‘We were disappointed and concerned to see Piers Morgan’s comments on not believing Meghan’s experiences about suicidal thoughts today.
‘It’s vital that when people reach out for support or share their experiences of ill mental health that they are treated with dignity, respect and empathy. We are in conversations with ITV about this at the moment.’
Kathleen Miles, Director of Fundraising at Mind, announced the funding on Friday, saying it will provide a much-needed boost at a time when the pandemic has taken its toll on many people’s mental health and the charity’s finances.
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She said: ‘We appreciate any donations – no matter how large or small, as they allow us to continue our vital work including helping to prevent suicides by providing information and support to anyone affected by poor mental health.
‘Mental health problems can affect anybody, regardless of factors like age, gender, ethnic group or socioeconomic status. We’re grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Archewell Foundation for this support, which will help us continue to make sure everyone with a mental health problem gets both support and respect.’
Colour of Change describes itself as the US’s ‘largest online racial justice organisation’ and works across criminal justice, voting freedom and economic justice, adding: ‘We cannot end racism in one area without tackling it in all areas.’
Clik here to view.
The PressPad Charitable Foundation works to improve diversity within the media by ‘lowering the financial barrier for young people who want to become journalists’.
Social enterprise PressPad wrote on Twitter: ‘We are delighted to announce that we have just registered a sister charity, The PressPad Charitable Foundation, and are thrilled that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their Archewell Foundation will be among our first donors.
‘We’re excited by such positive action after difficult yet important moments of reckoning for the UK media.
‘We’re proud to say our values of action, compassion & community align with the #archewellfoundation. Thanks to everyone who spoke their truth.’
URL Media describes itself as a ‘multi-platform network of high-performing Black and Brown media organisations’ and was launched in January.
On their website, they said: ‘As the US enters a new chapter, we offer an alternative to business as usual.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview: Key moments
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spoken to Oprah Winfrey in a bombshell interview about their decision to step back as senior working members of the Royal Family.
Here are the key points from the interview, which UK viewers can watch at 9pm on ITV on Monday, March 8.
- Meghan says it was Kate who made her cry over flower girls, not other way round
- Meghan says Harry was told there were ‘concerns how dark’ Archie would be
- Harry and Meghan reveal the gender of their baby due in summer
- Meghan sobs as she says pressures of royal life drove her to the verge of suicide
- Prince Charles stopped taking Harry’s calls after he quit Royal Family
- Harry says Meghan saved him from being ‘trapped’ like Prince Charles and Prince William are
- Princess Diana would be ‘sad and angry about how this has panned out'
- Meghan and Harry share adorable new video of son Archie at the beach
- Harry confirms terrible rift with William and says their relationship is now just ‘space’
- Queen ‘ghosted Harry during Megxit talks and got aide to say she was too busy’