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 The wife of Prince Harry and
former actress wrote about the experience in
detail in an opinion article published in the
New York Times on Wednesday, saying that it took
place one morning when she was caring for
Archie, the couple's son.
"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that
I was losing my second," Meghan wrote,
describing how she felt a sharp cramp after
picking up Archie from his crib, and dropped to
the floor with him in her arms, humming a
lullaby to keep them both calm.
Meghan described how she and her husband were
both in tears as she lay in a hospital bed hours
later.
"Losing a child means carrying an almost
unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked
about by few," she wrote.
"Yet despite the staggering commonality of this
pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled
with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a
cycle of solitary mourning," she wrote.
Approximately one in five women may experience a
miscarriage in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy,
according to Britain's professional body for
obstetricians and gynaecologists, which says the
topic is under-researched and care for parents
under-resourced.
Meghan and Harry have consistently used their
profile to highlight mental health issues, and
several British charities active in the fields
of miscarriage research and support said her
article would help people going through pain and
grief.
"Mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a
vital step in breaking down that stigma and
shame," said Sophie King, a midwife at Tommy's,
which funds research and runs a helpline for
expectant parents and those affected by loss.
"Her honesty and openness today send a powerful
message to anyone who loses a baby: this may
feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone,"
said King.
ROYAL RESERVE
The intimate details shared in Meghan's article
are strikingly at odds with the usual policy of
senior members of the British royal family, who
reveal almost nothing about their personal
lives.
Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, has never
discussed her private life in any media article
or interview in her 68-year reign.
However, there is intense global media interest
in the younger senior royals, especially when it
comes to family matters such as the birth of
children.
Harry's older brother Prince William and his
wife Kate appeared before TV camera crews and
photographers outside the London hospital where
Kate gave birth to her three children shortly
after each birth, each time with their newborn
baby.
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 Despite the media frenzy,
William and Kate have revealed almost nothing of
substance about their home life.
The only previous major break from royal reserve
was a TV interview in 1995 by Harry's mother
Princess Diana, in which she admitted to an
affair, talked about her husband Prince Charles'
affair and revealed intimate details such as her
history of self-harm. That interview is still
the subject of controversy today.
A source close to Harry said
the prince had discussed the article with the
royal family beforehand.
"MOTHER, FEMINIST, ADVOCATE"
The byline on the New York Times article was
"Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex", and she was
described as "a mother, feminist and advocate".
Meghan, who is American, wrote that 2020 had
brought many people to breaking points, and
called on people to put aside political
differences and other divisions and show some
care for each other.
"So this Thanksgiving, as we
plan for a holiday unlike any before — many of
us separated from our loved ones, alone, sick,
scared, divided and perhaps struggling to find
something, anything, to be grateful for — let us
commit to asking others, 'Are you OK?'," she
wrote.
Meghan and Harry married in May 2018 in a
glittering ceremony televised around the world,
but the period after their wedding was
tumultuous, with the couple falling out with
some British media and tensions between Harry
and William exposed.
The Sussexes stepped back from royal duties and
moved to the United States earlier this year to
try and forge a new role for themselves outside
the constraints of life in Britain's strictly
codified royal bubble.
Among other innovations, they announced in
September that they had signed an exclusive
multi-year deal with Netflix Inc to produce a
range of content.
Netflix is the streaming platform behind popular
series "The Crown", which fictionalises the
personal lives of the royal family. The current
series examines the troubled marriage of Harry's
parents, Diana and heir-to-the-throne Prince
Charles.
(Additional reporting by Alistair Smout and
Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton and
Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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