Mental Health

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Spread Important Mental Health Message

By Kristine Belle | Update Date: May 21, 2024 10:47 AM EDT
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Markle visit Titanic Belfast | (Photo : Northern Island Office/ Wikimedia Commons)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's recent trip to Nigeria proved once again that they are genuine advocates of mental health.

Earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex went on a three-day trip to the African country. Despite being no longer working royals after stepping away from the monarchy four years ago, the couple was greeted warmly and enthusiastically by the Nigerians.

As part of their itinerary, Meghan and Harry visited a school in the capital city of Abuja to witness the kick-off of an inaugural mental health summit by GEANCO, a local nonprofit with the mission of saving and transforming lives in Africa every day. Though it is not affiliated with the royal couple's Archewell Foundation, they prepared a big welcoming event for Markle and the royal prince, according to ABC News.

Upon Harry and Meghan's arrival, they were serenaded with cheers and dancing by the children. The former then grabbed the opportunity to speak with the students and teachers at the school and tell them the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.

"Hi, everybody. If I say mental health, do you know what it means?" Prince Harry said after his wife told the crowd how he seemed excited to "jump up" after seeing the energy of the crowd. He then quickly continued his speech by pointing out why most mental health issues go unnoticed.

"In some cases around the world, in more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health. Too many people don't want to talk about it, 'cause it's invisible. It's something in our mind that we can't see. It's not like a broken leg, it's not like a broken wrist."

He continued, "It's something that we are still relatively unsure of. But guess what? Every single person in this room -- the youngest, the oldest, every single person -- has mental health. So therefore, you have to look after yourself to be able to look after other people."

"And the more you talk about it, the more you can kick stigma away -- far, far away into long grass -- and then everybody will have the opportunity to be able to share how they're feeling, how they're coping, and then you can help other people."

When Harry handed the microphone to his wife, Meghan lauded her husband for speaking the truth. She also reiterated the importance of being mentally healthy and the need to eliminate the stigma surrounding this issue.

"You see why I'm married to him? It so inspiring, because he speaks the truth. And I think in the same way that you all, every single day when you think you wanna be healthy, right? Dance, you want to eat food, it's gonna make you healthy. [We] want your mind to be healthy, too," she said, as quoted by Harper's Bazaar.

"And that's the way we have to look at this. You know, every single one of you has a story. We all have our story. And there's no shame in any single one of your stories. Even on the hardest days or darkest days, everything is a pillar of your strength by each of you being there."

It wasn't the first time for Meghan and Harry to speak about mental health. They also did the same during last year's Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day. At the gathering, the royal couple noted that social media was harming kids' and teens' mental health.

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