Drama with the royal family aside, Meghan Markle’s life seems pretty extraordinary, but her road to happily ever after has been marred by personal trials. Healthwise, specifically, Markle has navigated a couple of physical and mental health issues.
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During an April 2025 episode of her “Confessions of a Female Founder” podcast, Markle opened up about the post-pregnancy health issue that both she and guest Whitney Wolfe Herd had navigated individually. “We both had very similar experiences — though we didn’t know each other at the time — with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia,” shared Markle with the Bumble founder. She continued, “It’s so rare and so scary … and you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly. And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people — mostly for your children — but those things are huge medical scares.” And she was right!
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According to Cleveland Clinic, postpartum preeclampsia, which happens after some women give birth, is a life-threatening medical issue. High blood pressure and an elevated presence of protein in the urine, which can only be confirmed during a medical screening, are common indicators. Nausea, altered vision, and headaches are also symptoms. The clinic recommends that anyone experiencing symptoms of preeclampsia get to the hospital. Otherwise, they could suffer from seizures, organ failure, or worse.
Meghan Markle suffered from suicide ideation
Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey was a basket of surprising revelations about her short stint within the royal family — including her admission about dealing with suicide ideation amid scrutiny from the British media. “I was ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry. But I knew that if I didn’t say it — then I would do it,” Markle shared with Winfrey in 2021 (via Business Insider). The entrepreneur claimed that the royal family left her to fend for herself when she asked to receive medical help. “I said that, ‘I’ve never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere,”’ Markle continued. “And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution.”
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The “Suits” star also revealed that the royal family’s HR department shooed her away because she wasn’t a paid member within the royal family.
Despite her candidness, Markle revealed in August 2024 that the public still knew very little about the suicidal thoughts she navigated during the phase. “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,” Markle shared while speaking with CBS (via Variety). “And I haven’t really scraped the surface on my experience, but I do think that I would never want someone else to feel that way, and I would never want someone else to be making those sort of plans, and I would never want someone else to not be believed.”
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If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
