White House Praises ‘Courage’ of Harry and Meghan Revealing Mental Health Struggles

The White House on Monday praised the “courage” of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Sunday interview with Oprah Winfrey, but also noted the couple are “private citizens.”

“For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage,” Psaki said Monday during the White House press briefing. “That’s certainly something the president believes.”

Markle said during the interview that she felt suicidal thoughts after marrying into the British royal family.

“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was very clear and real and frightening,” she said.

Harry said there was “a lot to work through” with his father Prince Charles.

“I feel really let down. He’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like,” he said. “And Archie is his grandson. I will always love him, but there is a lot of hurt that has happened.”

Psaki appeared to have a prepared statement from the White House regarding the dynamic CBS interview aired on Sunday. The preliminary ratings for the interview were 17.1 million.

“Meghan Markle is a private citizen and so is Harry,” she said.

She said that the White House would not provide any additional commentary but reaffirmed the “strong and abiding relationship” with the British people and a “special partnership with the government of the United Kingdom.”