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What is The Institution? Royal family, once dubbed 'The Firm', slammed for ignoring 'suicidal' Meghan Markle

Meghan revealed that she was having 'methodical' thoughts about suicide while she was in the royal family but when she asked helped, it was futile

In a CBS interview full of revelations with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed a series of shocking details about the British royal family and the "Institution". Meghan said that she did not receive royal training and was instead up late in the night googling protocols to prevent embarrassment. "I just wanted to make them proud," said Meghan. She also denied having plans to leave the monarchy when she and Prince Harry started dating. Instead, Harry said that he never would have left if he hadn't married Meghan, but only because their relationship opened his eyes to how he was trapped by the "Institution" he was born into.

"My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don't get to leave," said Harry. During the interview, Meghan revealed that she was having "methodical" thoughts about suicide while she was in the royal family. "That was a very clear and real and frightening thought," Meghan said. "I couldn't be left alone." According to Meghan, she went to the "Institution", meaning several senior officials, to receive help for her suicidal thoughts or to be checked into a hospital, but she was told it wouldn't be good for optics. After being rebuffed, Meghan said she reached out to one of Princess Diana's best friends, but continued to have those thoughts, which she called a breaking point. 

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The members of the Royal families are often referred to as "Institution" which includes senior courtiers and advisers, headed by the Queen, rather than individual royals. 'The Firm' is one of the more derisive nicknames for the royal family, but it's reportedly the one that the family itself sometimes uses. In the film 'The King's Speech', Colin Firth notes in his role as King George VI: "We're not a family, we're a firm," a line reportedly spoken by the real King George VI. While 'The Firm' is a term widely used by royal biographers, experts and commentators to refer to the royal family, it is not used publically by the royals themselves.

As soon as the internet got hold of the information, they started talking about what the 'Institution' is and also slammed it. One person tweeted: "tw// suicide meghan was actively suicidal. she feared what she would do to herself. she begged for help. & the institution had the audacity to say it wouldn’t look good. asking for help & being denied is so defeating. i want to give her a hug & tell her things will be okay." While another one wrote: "The institution breeds a sense of entitlement, that some are better than others. And it's that sense that can be seen in all aspects of Britain and worst of all in the political establishment. Every awful thing the Tories do comes from this idea. It's disgraceful."

One person said, "“The Institution” does not mean HM the Queen. It’s those who force the tradition and rules upon the family. It’s the church, the personal assistants, the government. #OprahMeghanHarry." Another one said, "The Firm is the family. The Institution are the courtiers, the people behind the scenes. I have to wonder how “insulated” the royal family is by the institution."

While one person said, "The Firm= Charles The Institution= Charles Certain Family Member= Charles It was Charles all along. He’s angry at Harry keeping his marital oath to protect his wife. #HarryMeghanOprah." While another one said, "Think of it this way. Wealthy families here have "Family Offices" who manage every aspect of their business lives. The Royal Family has their institution "The Firm.""

These remarks were made by a third-person and individual organizations, MEAWW cannot confirm them independently nor does it support these claims.