Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got candid about mental health during the royal tour of Southern Africa today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took part in a group mindfulness activity at a beach alongside Waves for Change – who provide a child-friendly mental health service to at-risk young people living in unstable communities.
Speaking at the press today, Harry said: “I think most of the stigma is around mental illness we need to separate the two … mental health which is every single one of us and mental illness which could be every single one of us.”
“But I think they need to be separated, the mental health element touches on so much of what we’re exposed to, these experiences that these kids and every single one of us have been through.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke on the second morning of their #RoyalTourAfrica
Harry and Meghan were at Monwabisi Beach to learn about the work of ‘Waves for Change’, an NGO which trains and supports local surf mentors to provide mental health services. pic.twitter.com/yXEedin7p9
— The Royal Family Channel (@RoyalFamilyITNP) September 24, 2019
“Everyone has experienced trauma or likely to experience trauma at some point during their lives. We need to try, not eradicate it, but to learn from previous generations so there’s not a perpetual cycle.”
“What’s amazing here just in a day and half – barely – conversations keep happening with all sorts of different people. So they’ve been through it and we can learn so much from that,” Harry said.
Meghan added: “You see that no matter where you are in the world if you’re a small community or a township if you’re in a big city — it’s that everyone is dealing with a different version of the same thing.”
“Globally I think there’s a bit of a consciousness crisis, and so the fact we’re able to be here together to see on the ground so much good work that’s being done, just because people are willing to talk to each other about it and someone’s willing to listen is huge.”
“And that can apply to being here, certainly can apply to being in London, L.A. — doesn’t matter where you are we’re all sort of trying to power through and find some optimism.”
