Did Princess Diana's best friend Julia Samuel help Meghan Markle when she was 'suicidal'?
In a shocking revelation during her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle opened up about having 'suicidal thoughts' while she was in the royal family. During that time, she was rebuffed by the 'Institution' of royal officials when she went to seek help for her mental health.
Desperate and depressed, Meghan reportedly turned to one of Princess Diana's best friends, who helped her sail through the tough times. People worldwide have found his anecdote from Meghan's story to be heartwarming and emotional, amid a heartbreaking story of her mistreatment by the British royals.
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How did Princess Diana's friend help Meghan?
During her initial days as a royal, Meghan went into depression, especially after her license, passport and credit cards were taken away, and she felt captured. Her depression reached a point where she 'couldn't be left alone' and always had a 'very clear and real and frightening thought' about suicide. Her struggle was only enhanced by the constant negativity and criticism the British media subjected her to.
In order to seek support, Meghan approached senior officials at the palace, who are called the 'Institution'. She wanted help to cope with her suicidal thoughts and even check into a hospital if need be. But she was turned down by the officials, who felt such a step would not be perceived well in the public eye. Desperate and lonely, Meghan reached out to one of Princess Diana's best friends. "I didn’t know who to even turn to in that. And one of the people that I reached out to, who has continued to be a friend and confidant, was one of my husband’s mom’s best friends, one of Diana’s best friends, because it’s like who else could understand what it’s actually like on the inside," she revealed. It was this particular friend of Princess Diana who helped Meghan through the depression and dark times. In the 1992 memoir 'Diana: Her True Story - in Her Own Words', Diana's biographer Andrew Morton revealed that the late princess tried to commit suicide around five times.
Was Julia Samuel the friend Meghan referred to?
Though Meghan chose not to reveal the name of Princess Diana's best friend who helped her, people are assuming it to be 60-year-old Julia Samuel, a psychotherapist from London who was close to the late Princess.
"Julia Samuel was very likely the "Friend of Diana" that helped Meghan," tweeted a user. "12. I love that Meghan reached out to one of Diana’s best friends bc of her suicidal thoughts. It just proves that Harry is still very much in contact with his mom’s family and friends. i hope it helped Meghan," another well-wisher wrote in a thread. "& the fact that Diana’s friends are now supporting Meghan makes me so happy. That’s support," wrote another.
Julia Samuel was very likely the "Friend of Diana" that helped Meghan.
— WearADamnMaskWalton (@CoraBGodsey) March 8, 2021
12. I love that Meghan reached out to one of Diana’s best friends bc of her suicidal thoughts. It just proves that Harry is still very much in contact with his mom’s family and friends. i hope it helped Meghan
— ℕ𝕠𝕠𝕣𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕞 | 𝕎𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕘 | Zoënne (@NotSry2LoveDE) March 8, 2021
& the fact that Diana’s friends are now supporting Meghan makes me so happy. That’s support.
— tk (@tkyonce) March 8, 2021
Perhaps the main reason behind the speculations of Samuel being the 'best friend' in question was because Meghan had previously mentioned her in an interview around the time she got engaged.
Reportedly, Meghan had previously mentioned how Samuel helped her understand the late Princess Diana, the mother of her husband Harry. When Harry and Meghan decided to step back from their royal duties last year, or what is commonly dubbed as 'Megxit', Samuel stated in an interview that the incident simply shows the 'complexity of families'. She also added that both Prince William and Harry are 'very authentic'.
"I think we all do know them in a way, from those young boys. I think what they show in public is what the're like. So they're very authentic. I think they represent the complexity of families," Samuel had stated at the time, according to DailyMail. Samuel always hailed her late friend Princess Diana for her brilliant work on raising awareness about mental illness and breaking the stigma around mental health. "She was amazing. She broke a lot of the stigma and taboo around mental health," Samuel said about Princess Diana.
The Founder Patron of Child Bereavement UK, Samuel became close to Diana after meeting her at a dinner party in 1987. They became such close friends that at one point, Diana would even collect Julia's children from school. Samuel is the godmother of Prince William and Kate Middleton's firstborn son Prince George.