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Harry Lost His Cred on Mental Health
Several weeks ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave an interview to Oprah about their exit from the Royal Family. Anyone who dared question their narrative faced a barrage of criticism; from accusations of racism to anger over anyone who dares to question anyone claiming a mental health crisis. Piers Morgan lost his morning hosting gig in Britain for questioning Markle’s claim that she was ever suicidal.
For many years, long before Markle came onto the scene, Prince Harry spoke openly about the importance of addressing mental health concerns and has discussed how he had received therapy to process the emotional toll that his mother’s death took on him. He was the most connected and vocal mental health advocate in the entire Commonwealth, able to obtain mental health assistance with the help of the palace or without it.
In their interview, the couple claimed she was suicidal, and Harry, who had openly discussed how he had sought psychiatric care and had connections inside and outside the palace prior to marriage, admitted that he refused to obtain it for his wife and mumbled excuses about why. It was the lowest point in the interview for Harry, who never came off looking great. Markle claimed she was suicidal, and Harry explained his inaction with mumbled excuses about how he was “ashamed” and that seeking mental health help just wasn’t done.
Now comes the news that Harry has a new “job” working for a Silicon Valley startup devoted to mental health. CNN reports,
The Duke of Sussex has joined Silicon Valley startup BetterUp as its chief impact officer, the company told CNN Business on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Harry also confirmed the prince’s new role.
BetterUp provides coaching and mental health services to clients. The company’s website lists Harry as part of its leadership team, describing him as a “humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate, and environmentalist.”
Why is nobody questioning the Prince’s credibility on the mental health issue? This is a man who, despite spending years advocating for openly seeking mental health assistance, but refused to do so for his suicidal wife. That’s one possibility; the other is that Markle was never actually suicidal, and the pair are lying about her mental health state in order to attack his family. Those are the only two options. Why would anyone professionally involved with mental health want Harry’s expertise on its leadership team in light of this?
Published in General
You think advocacy is compatible to consistency? Perish the thought! The only thing that’s important here is celebrity.
We want to raise awareness. Everyone is aware of Meghan and Harry. Therefore, everyone will be aware of the cause. And therefore, we can start raising money. It sounds awful but it’s true.
I opt for door #2. So many celebrities want to play victim to burnish their credentials and evoke sympathy, which distracts from the fact they are celebrities and usually rolling in dough . . .
Being a Prince or a Princess is such a tough gig. It is much worse than what the rest of us deal with.
So true. A lot is expected of a royal, and an outsider should learn all the proper protocols in advance before committing to join the circle through marriage . . .
You don’t know how rough it is to be a princess, having to sometimes wear a tiara! Those things PINCH!
I’m not British but I only remember seeing positive commentary about their engagement when it was announced. I think it was even said that her already being used to the media would make it much easier than it had been for Kate at the start.
About a month after the wedding they visited Ireland where she gave her tuppenceworth on the result of the abortion referendum. Just a taste of what was to come it turned out.
She knew exactly what she was up to when she hitched herself to Harry. I worry at the number of gullible fools that that can’t see through the phoniness of her act.
Mine doesn’t.
Oops . . .