Royal biographer Andrew Morton admitted he was “baffled” when he heard Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, tell US chat show host Oprah Winfrey she’d been refused help when she went to the family firm over her mental health.
Andrew appeared on Lorraine Kelly’s chat show today to discuss his new book about Prince William and Prince Harry’s ongoing feud.
The author, who has written a number of royal biographies in the past, shared his surprise that the firm had been so hesitant to help Meghan, 39, when she was struggling as a senior member of the royal family and was living in Kensington Palace at the time.
Shocked by Andrew’s reveal that the older generation of senior royals had sought and received different levels of mental and emotional help over the years, Lorraine said: “I never would have thought of the Queen doing that.
“It makes it all the more difficult to imagine that they wouldn’t have helped Meghan when she made a cry for help.
“She said that nobody listened to her, which was one of the saddest things about that interview wasn’t it?”
“Yes that was a very sad admission but it left far more questions than answers,” Andrew said. “Especially as Harry is patron of a mental health organisation and his godmother Julia Samuel is a well known psychotherapist, she’s on speed dial.
“It left me baffled that assertion,” the biographer admitted.
Lorraine had explained that Princess Margaret, the Queen’s younger sister, had mental health issues and had similar struggles with seeking help from her family.
“It’s from a generation where if it’s cold put on a sweater, don’t turn up the heating. It’s make do and mend,” Andrew explained.
“People didn’t talk about mental illness. But having said that Princess Margaret did go for psychological counselling.
“Even the Queen herself, during her ‘annus horribilis’ had somebody in to help with her breathing and relaxing.”
The biographer described how the royal family actually were accustomed to taking advice and treatments when necessary, but it’s still quite a taboo subject within the older generations.
“In a funny kind of way the royal family have had a history of going for help from professional bodies for psychological issues they faced,” he added.
Andrew Morton’s new royal biography is due to be released this year.
Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
