3 worrying takeaways from the Meghan and Harry documentary
Pressure from the media is having a profound impact on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's lives, an ITV documentary has revealed.
In rare interviews with anchor Tom Bradby, who travelled with Harry, Meghan, and their son Archie during their royal tour of Africa, the couple were candid about the effect of relentless tabloid scrutiny on their happiness and mental health.
Here are three of the most alarming revelations to come out of the documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
The rumours of a rift with Prince William are true
Prince Harry addressed the rumours regarding his relationship with his brother, Prince William. Earlier this year, tabloid media in the UK claimed that a "feud" between William and Kate and Harry and Meghan had occurred. Prince Harry told ITV anchor Tom Bradby that the pair are "on different paths at the moment."
"Inevitably stuff happens, but look, we're brothers, we'll always be brothers, we're certainly on different paths at the moment but I will always be there for him and I know he'll always be there for him," said Harry.
"We don't see each other as much as we used to because we're so busy. As brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days," he added.
Meghan Markle was warned against marrying Prince Harry
The Duchess of Sussex said that a British friend warned her about the British tabloids prior to marrying Prince Harry.
"When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy but my British friend said to me, 'I'm sure he's great but you shouldn't do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.'" said Meghan.
She said that she "naively" said to her friend, "What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense ... I didn't get it."
Constant media criticism is impacting Harry's mental health
Prince Harry was asked about the effect of the media's constant criticism of both him and Meghan.
"For me and for my wife, there's a lot of stuff that hurts. Especially when the majority of it's untrue," he said. "I won't be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum."
When asked specifically about the toll on his mental health, Harry explained that he's taking steps to manage the impact it's having.
"It's management, it's constant management. I thought I was out of the woods and then suddenly it all came back and I realised actually this is something that I have to manage," he said.
Harry & Meghan: An African Journey will air in the U.S. this Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
Topics Celebrities
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
