White House lauds Meghan Markle's 'courage' to speak out, but says 'special partnership' with UK will continue
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's bombshell interview continues to ripple through the world as the White House weighed in on the interview. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded to questions from the press regarding whether US President Joe Biden had watched the interview and said that it took "courage" to speak about mental health struggles but refused to comment further because they are "private citizens."
During the interview with Oprah Winfrey which aired on CBS on Sunday night, March 7, Meghan Markle spoke of her deep struggles during her time with the British royal family and admitted that she had "suicidal thoughts." She also said that when she sought help from the Firm's human resources department, she was told she could not be helped because she was not an "employee."
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Markle also made the shocking revelation that one unnamed royal spoke to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, about their then-unborn first child's skin color and expressed concerns about "how dark the baby is going to be potentially and what that would mean or look like." Markle did not name the royal because it "would be very damaging for them".
Psaki said when asked about the interview, during the daily press briefing "For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage. And that’s certainly something the president believes," and added that Biden emphasized the importance of investing in mental health.
However, Psaki said that the White House would not be commenting on the interview further, saying, "We aren’t going to provide additional commentary from here on behalf of the president or others, given these are private citizens sharing their own story and their own struggles."
She also said, "Let me just reiterate that we have a strong and abiding relationship with the British people and a special partnership with the government of the United Kingdom on a range of issues, and that will continue."
More than 17 million people tuned in to watch Markle's and Prince Harry's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, their first interview as a couple since stepping back as senior working members of the royal family last year. During the two-hour special, Markle and Harry spoke about numerous issues they faced while with the royal family.
Meanwhile, First Lady Dr Jill Biden celebrated International Women's Day on March 8 by sharing a few remarks at the State Department's International Women of Courage Award Ceremony. What stood out, however, was that Dr Biden wore an Oscar de la Renta lemon print belted midi dress, which was almost exactly the same dress that Meghan Mark;e previously wore to a virtual Spotify event, leading many to wonder if there was a hidden meaning to Biden's dress choice for the day after the interview aired.