Prince Harry has spent a lot of money on therapy to make sure Meghan Markle didn’t suffer the same post-baby sadness that his mom, Princess Diana, went through. Diana struggled with depression so badly after giving birth that she even hurt herself, RadarOnline.com reports.
Harry and Meghan live in California and are raising their two kids, Prince Archie (6) and Princess Lilibet (4), away from the public eye. They left royal life to give their children a more private and normal life.
Lately, Meghan has been showing off their family on social media, especially to support her new wellness brand. She presents them as a happy and healthy family, but insiders say the journey hasn’t always been easy.
A source said Harry, now 40, was deeply aware of what his mother went through. Diana spoke openly about her struggle with depression after giving birth to William, and Harry didn’t want Meghan to go through anything similar. So, before and after the births of both Archie and Lilibet, Harry encouraged Meghan to talk to a therapist and get all the support she needed.
“Harry is passionate about mental health,” the source said. “He has spoken about how both he and his brother suffered after their mother died. He didn’t want Meghan to feel alone, so he made sure she got help.”
Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997. She was only 36 years old. Before her death, she gave an interview where she talked about her own battle with postpartum depression after Prince William was born.
In the interview, Diana said: “I felt very low. I didn’t want to get out of bed. No one talked about post-baby depression back then. It made things really hard for me.”
She also shared that the royal family didn’t give her much support, and she ended up hurting herself. “People said I was unstable, but I just needed help. Hurting myself was my way of asking for it,” she said. “I didn’t like myself and I was ashamed.”
Diana’s depression didn’t start only after William was born. According to biographer Andrew Morton, Diana once threw herself down the stairs when she was four months pregnant, hoping Prince Charles would finally pay attention to her. But Charles just brushed her off and went horse riding.
When Diana gave birth to Harry, Charles reportedly made a cruel comment because the baby had red hair. Diana also said she had kept the baby’s gender a secret because Charles had really wanted a girl.
