Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share two children, Archie Harrison, 5, and Lilibet Diana, 3.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are once again stepping into the spotlight, this time to champion the cause of child safety in the digital age.
The parents of Archie Harrison, 5, and Lilibet Diana, 3, made rare comments about their family while discussing the dangers of the internet in an upcoming joint interview, their first since their bombshell sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.
“Our kids are young,” Meghan tells CBS Sunday Morning”s Jane Pauley in a preview clip shared on Thursday. “They”re amazing. But all you want to do as parents is protect them.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are driven by this deep concern for their children”s safety to participate in a new initiative called The Parents Network. This project, in association with their Archewell Foundation, supports adults whose children have been impacted by social media.
“As we can see what”s happening in the online space,” Meghan, the former Suits actress, continues, “we know that there”s a lot of work to be done there, and we”re just happy to be a part of change for good.” The couple, who have experienced the negative aspects of the internet firsthand, are now stepping in to share their resources.
Harry added, “We”ve got to the point where almost every parent needs to be a first responder. And even the best first responders in the world wouldn”t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. That is the terrifying piece of this.”
During their previous interview with Oprah, Meghan shared her own struggles with suicidal thoughts due to the constant public scrutiny as a member of the royal family. “I just didn”t want to be alive anymore,” she said at the time. “And that was a very clear and real and frightening and constant thought…I thought it would solve everything for everyone.”
Meghan also revealed the shame she felt in admitting her struggles to Harry, especially knowing the immense loss he has suffered, including the tragic death of his mother, Princess Diana. “But I knew that if I didn”t say it, then I would do it,” she shared.
Harry, who witnessed his mother endure the intense scrutiny, feared that Meghan would face a similar fate. “My biggest concern was history repeating itself, and I”ve said that before on numerous occasions, very publicly,” he told Oprah. And what I was seeing was history repeating itself, but more, perhaps—or definitely far more dangerous, because then you add race in and you add social media in.”
Ultimately, the couple stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020 and relocated their family to Southern California.
During her interview with Oprah, Meghan expressed her hope that sharing her private struggles would help others in similar situations. She emphasized the importance of understanding that “you have no idea what”s going on for someone behind closed doors.”
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