We all go through struggles in this life, whether we're famous or not. Being born into wealth is never a guarantee of happiness — just ask the royal family. They've been through a lot in their lives, and despite having a palace, they are far from perfect. But what we love about today's modern royals is that they're more open about their struggles. And knowing that we're not alone in having mental health issues or pregnancy struggles or learning disorders is immensely helpful.
It's rare for the older royals, like Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles, to open up about their tough days. But, the newer generation of royals love to spill it all — and we're so grateful for that. Every time Meghan Markle or Kate Middleton talk about their everyday problems, it feels a bit more like they understand what regular people go through, too. It helps us to remember that royals really are just like us, even in the hard times.
Princess Diana Had Postpartum Depression
One of the first royals to get candid about her struggles was Princess Diana. In a landmark interview with the BBC, she opened up about her experience with postpartum depression following Prince William's birth. "You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself," the Princess of Wales described.
She added that the royal family were not the most supportive in those days. "Maybe I was the first person ever to be in this family who ever had a depression or was ever openly tearful. And obviously that was daunting, because if you've never seen it before how do you support it?" she said.
Fortunately these days, Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all make mental health a priority in their charity work.
Diana Also Struggled With Bulimia
During that same interview, Diana spoke openly about her eating disorder, which she struggled with for years when she was a new princess. "You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don't think you're worthy or valuable," she said. "It's a repetitive pattern which is very destructive to yourself."
After she opened up about the topic, there was an uptick in people seeking treatment for their own eating disorders.
Prince Harry's Mental Health
Like his mother, the Duke of Sussex has, at times, struggled with his mental health. But also like his mother, he eventually got more comfortable talking about it openly. In 2017, he admitted that not properly dealing with the loss of his mother and other traumas in his life led him to almost have a "total breakdown."
He added, "And then I started to have a few conversations, and actually all of a sudden, all of this grief that I have never processed started to come to the forefront and I was, like, 'there is actually a lot of stuff here that I need to deal with.'"
He may be a prince, but that doesn't make him immune to having struggles just like everyone else.
Prince William Also Struggled With Diana's Death
In 2020, William also admitted that he still struggles with his mother's death. And when he became a parent, he said that life change brought up all kinds of emotions. "And there's no one there to, kind of, help you, and I definitely found it very, at times, overwhelming," the Duke of Cambridge said.
William & Harry Both Have Some PTSD
Both William and Harry completed military service, which is never without its own trauma. Harry once said that he has "dark moments" where images from battle will jump into his mind. "You know, there are images I've been lucky enough not to see, but there have been images that I've been unfortunate to see," he admitted.
Prince William has also opened up about his military days, saying, "I took a lot home without realizing it. You see many sad things every day that you think life is like that. You're always dealing with despair and sadness and injury."
Their own experiences help shed light on what all of our soldiers are experiencing — even the ones not necessarily in frontline combat.
Being a New Mom Was Hard on Kate Middleton
Like Princess Diana, Kate also struggled with her new mom life after giving birth to Prince George in 2013. In those days, William was still working for the military and was often gone. Kate later admitted that it was hard for her, especially because where they were living in Wales was pretty remote. "George was a tiny, tiny, little baby, and in the middle of Anglesey," the Duchess of Cambridge said. "It was so isolated, so cut off. I didn’t have family around, and he was doing night shifts."
Many new moms can relate to feeling isolated in their new duties, and Kate Middleton was right there with them.
Kate Has Mom Guilt
Now that the duchess has three kids, plus a whole bunch of royal duties to complete, she has said she suffers from mom guilt when trying to balance children and work. "I think anyone who doesn't [have mom guilt] as a mother is actually lying," Kate said during a podcast interview earlier in 2020.
She added that sometimes her kids get upset when she can't be there for school drop-off or pick-up. "There's such a pull," she said. "I am such a hands-on mom, and whatever you're doing you want to make sure you're doing the uttermost best job you can for your children."
Even though Kate has to work sometimes, we think she's doing a pretty good job. As we all moms are — because we're just doing our best.
Meghan Had a Tough Postpartum Experience
The Duchess of Sussex's own first postpartum experience was exacerbated by being in the public eye and having a lot of negative attention thrown her way. She wasn't afraid to admit during an interview that she wasn't doing OK.
"Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging," she said. "And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it's a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed."
It's a lot to handle, and even people not in the public eye will be able to relate to being a new mom and a new wife and just trying to manage it all.
Princess Eugenie Dealt With Scoliosis
Princess Eugenie had major surgery on her back when she was a child to correct the scoliosis of her spine. But instead of being ashamed of her large scar, she tries to embrace it, which can help others who have scars of their own. She even chose not to wear a veil on her wedding day so she wouldn't cover up her surgery scar.
For International Scoliosis Awareness Day in 2020, she posted a selfie of her back to spread a positive message. "I just wanted to share my scar and encourage anyone out there who's gone through something similar to share theirs with me," she wrote. "Let's be proud of our scars!"
Several Royals Have Dyslexia
Eugenie's sister, Princess Beatrice, has also been open about some of her own struggles, like her dyslexia. "It is not something that is wrong with you," Beatrice said in an interview in 2020. "It is a great part of how your brain works and everybody's brain works incredibly differently."
She's not the only royal to have dyslexia. According to Hello! magazine, King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden and his children Prince Carl Philip and Princess Victoria also have been diagnosed with the learning disorder. It's common and, as Beatrice says, not anything to be ashamed about.
Princess Victoria Has Anxiety
Because of Princess Victoria's dyslexia, the Swedish royal says she's also experienced anxiety. "I used to think I was stupid and slow," she told a Swedish television station, according to People magazine. "The performance anxiety I had is still there." However, as she's gotten older, she's learned to cope. "I've been given different kinds of tools and learned how to manage it."
Anxiety is a common issue, affecting 18% of the adult population in the US. As with many mental health struggles, it can often feel hard to talk about. Princess Victoria opening up about her own anxiety helps.
Victoria Also Struggled With Anorexia
The same People article reported that Victoria's also opened up in the past about her problems with anorexia as a teenager. To recover, she took time off before heading to college. "I needed time to sort things out and get my balance back again," she said. "I needed to get to know myself, discover where my limits were, not constantly push myself too much."
She's now an outspoken advocate for young people and mental health.
Meghan's Response to Online Trolling
Most people won't experience online trolling to the level that Meghan has, but being a person on the internet these days does often come with some negativity — whether it's directed at us in comments on Instagram or just through seeing other negative posts.
For Meghan, being trolled took a real toll on her mental health. "I don't care if you are 15 or 25, if people are saying things about you that aren't true, what that does to your mental and emotional health is damaging," she said on a recent podcast, adding that "it's almost unsurvivable."
Meghan Markle's Miscarriage
Miscarriages happen to 10 to 20% of known pregnancies, but even though they're unfortunately a common experience, many people often feel unable to open up about them. It always helps to know that we're not alone in these struggles, and that's exactly what the Duchess of Sussex opening up about her own miscarriage did.
The supportive public response to her essay about loss was huge, and a source claimed to Us Weekly that the duchess had no regrets about sharing her story. Meghan was reportedly "overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support she’s received from the public and other women who’ve experienced the pain of losing a child," according to the source.
Kate Middleton Knows Lockdown Has Been Tough
2020 has been a lot for most people — even the royals. Kate recently addressed her own time staying at home, and she readily admitted that it was far from easy to be so isolated.
"Being unable to see your friends or spend time with your family will undoubtedly be frustrating for you, just as it is for them," she said in a speech. "It's been a really difficult time for us all. But it's important to know that these feelings and frustrations are totally normal, and that they won't last forever."
And thank goodness for that.
