In their first formal broadcast interview since their conversation with Oprah Winfrey three years ago, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex addressed the online threats facing children.
Speaking on CBS News Sunday Morning, they shared their concerns as parents, emphasizing their desire to “protect” their son Archie and daughter Lilibet. Prince Harry highlighted the frightening reality that any parent could lose a child to suicide due to harmful online content.
The couple recently launched The Parents Network, a program designed to support parents and guardians affected by this issue. While their previous interview with Oprah covered topics such as racism and life in the Royal Family, this discussion was solely focused on their efforts to combat online harm.
“Our kids are young, they are three and five, they’re amazing, but all you want to do as parents is protect them,” Meghan said.
“And so as we can see what’s happening in the online space, 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.”
Prince Harry said that in the “olden days” parents always knew what their children were up to, as long as they were at home.
“At least they were safe, right?” he said.
“And now, they could be in the next door room on a tablet or on a phone, and can be going down these rabbit holes. And before you know it, within 24 hours, they could be taking their life.”
Alongside the sit-down interview, clips showed the couple meeting with bereaved parents near Santa Barbara, most of whom had lost a child due to harmful social media content or online bullying.
Prince Harry said that it has reached a point where almost every parent has 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,” he said.
“That is the terrifying piece of this.”
Prince Harry, whose mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, died when he was 12, has been open about the impact grief had – and continues to have – on his mental health.
In her interview with Oprah, Meghan also spoke about her battles with poor mental health.
She said there was “a through-line” which connected her experience to those families who had lost a child.
“When you’ve been through any level of pain or trauma, I believe part of our healing journey – certainly part of mine – is being able to be really open about it,” she said.
Meghan said that she hadn’t really “scraped the surface” on her own experience, but she never wanted anyone else to feel the way she had.
She said: “If me voicing what I have overcome will save someone or encourage someone in their life to really genuinely check in on them, and not assume the appearance is good so everything is OK, then that’s worth it. I’ll take a hit for that.”
The couple are set to emphasize the importance of safeguarding young people online during their upcoming official visit to Colombia later this month, following their trip to Nigeria in May.
Discussing their new initiative, The Parents Network, Meghan stressed the need to “start somewhere.” She urged viewers to consider the issue as if it were their own child affected, saying, “What if it was my daughter, what if it was my son? My son or my daughter who comes home, who are joyful, who I love, and one day, right under my roof, our entire lives change because of something that was completely out of our control.
And if you look at it through the lens as a parent, there is no way to see that any other way than to try and find a solution.”
The Sussexes moved to California in June 2020 with their son Archie, and their daughter Lilibet was born there in 2021. The couple did not mention any other members of the Royal Family in their CBS interview. They are not expected to visit Prince Harry’s father, King Charles III, in Scotland during his summer break.
Last week, the Duke of Sussex stated that his fight against intrusion from the tabloid press was a “central piece” behind the breakdown of his relationship with the rest of his family.
