The former American actress and wife of Prince Harry recounts her personal drama in a column published by the New York Times on Wednesday.
The are the pain to “move forward towards healing”. Meghan Markle , the wife of Prince Harry, announced on Wednesday that she had a miscarriage in July. A very personal and assumed revelation, published by the New York Times with the desire to break a taboo.
“It was a July morning that started as normal as any other day: making breakfast, feeding the dogs, taking vitamins,” she wrote. After changing her son Archie’s diaper, the former actress feels a “strong cramp” and falls to the ground. “I knew, the moment I hugged my first child tightly, that I was losing the second. “
Having a miscarriage causes “immense pain”, insists the Duchess of Sussex. It is something that remains “taboo, covered with a feeling of unjustified shame, perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning”. “The only way to allow someone to begin to heal their wounds is to first ask them: How are you? »She explains.
“Allow others” to speak
“Some had the courage to tell their stories: they thus paved the way, knowing that by telling the truth they would allow others to do so too,” said the 39-year-old American. Personalities like the singer Beyoncé , in 2013, or Michelle Obama , in 2018, have already revealed to have suffered a miscarriage. According to the American NGO March of Dimes, 10 to 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriages.
Entitled “The Losses We Share”, this extremely personal op-ed comes as Meghan Markle and her husband wage a legal battle against media they accuse of invading their privacy. Prince Harry, sixth in the order of succession to the British crown, has repeatedly denounced media pressure on his couple and made it the main reason for his withdrawal from the royal family , announced in January and effective early April.
The Duchess of Sussex’s column recalls another by actress Angelina Jolie , also in The New York Times, announcing in 2013 that she had had her breasts removed preventively in the face of a very high risk of cancer. The actress had chosen to reveal it “so that other women can benefit from my experience”.
Several associations have welcomed this taking of paprole. “I applaud Meghan for having the courage to share her story with such beauty and eloquence,” said Zoe Clark-Coates, head of the Mariposa Trust, which supports those who have lost a child. The “stigma around miscarriage” keeps many people from seeking help, said Karen Burgess, CEO of Petals, an association that helps people who have lost babies.
