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Kate Middleton criticised for 'hypocritical' comments on mental health and pregnancy

Kate Middleton criticised for 'hypocritical' comments on mental health and pregnancy
Kate Middleton lookalike applies to play her in The Crown
TikTok/Brittany Dixon

The Duchess of Cambridge has spoken about the difficulties pregnant women and new mothers face with their mental health - but has been since been criticised for not publically supporting Meghan Markle when she revealed similar struggles.

In a tweet, Kate Middleton announced on Friday (May 6) that she is the new royal patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance - a UK charity which has a network of over 100 organisations that are committed to getting new and expectant mums the mental health support they need and to raise awareness around this issue too.

"The past couple of years have reminded us of just how much we need each other and how vital our relationships are to our long-term health and happiness," Middleton said in the accompanying video which was posted during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.

"No one is immune to experiencing anxiety and depression," she added.

"It is crucial, therefore, that all those who might be struggling are given the right support at the right time."

While many reacted positively to the news of Middleton's new role and praised her for raising awareness around mental health in pregnancy, some criticised the Duchess of Cambridge for not publicly supporting her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle when voiced her mental health problems, Insiderreported.

During an interview back in October 2019 with ITV's Tom Bradby, the journalist asked Markle if she "was OK," to which an emotional Markle replied: "Yeah well I guess, and also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I'm OK."

In November 2020, Markle wrote an op-ed for The New York Timesand referenced this exchange where she also revealed she had suffered a miscarriage just two months earlier.

Then Markle brought up her mental health struggles in an explosive interview with Oprah last year where she admitted she experienced suicidal thoughts and "didn't want to be alive anymore" during her first pregnancy with son Archie when she lived in London.

In an effort to get better, Markle claimed that she tried to seek help from the institution but said they didn't do anything to support her.

"I went to the institution, and I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help, that I've never felt this way before, that I needed to go somewhere. And I was told that I couldn't, that it wouldn't be good for the institution," she explained.

Here are some of the criticisms people have written about Middleton in to reference these events.













While others pointed out a lack of diversity in the announcement video and also noted that postnatal depression or anxiety in Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) mothers is 13 per cent higher than in white mothers.







In response to Markle's claims in her and Prince Harry's Oprah interview, Buckingham Palace said: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."

"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."

Representatives for the Duchess of Cambridge declined indy100's request for comment and indy100 has also contacted the Maternal Mental Health Alliance for comment.

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mental healthpregnancymeghan marklekate middleton
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