- Royal fans are criticizing
Kate Middleton for not publicly supportingMeghan Markle . - On Friday, Middleton was announced as patron for the Maternal
Mental Health Alliance.
The Duchess of Cambridge is being criticized for addressing mental health issues that pregnant women face after she didn't publicly support Meghan Markle.
On Friday, Kate Middleton was announced as the royal patron of Maternal Mental Health Alliance, a UK-based charity network comprised of more than 100 organizations that aim to raise awareness of the mental health struggles that pregnant women and new mothers face.
—The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 6, 2022
In a video shared to the Cambridges' Twitter account to mark maternal mental health awareness week, Middleton said that "no one is immune" to experiencing anxiety and depression.
"It is crucial, therefore, that all those who might be struggling are given the right support at the right time," she said.
People online were quick to criticize Middleton for failing to speak about the topic when Meghan Markle said she experienced suicidal thoughts while pregnant in 2019.
Markle said during her Oprah Winfrey interview last year that she "didn't want to be alive" anymore while living in London and pregnant with her first son, Archie. She said she reached out to the institution for help, but was turned away.
"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," Markle told Winfrey.
One Twitter user, @AliciaJ1985, wrote on Twitter: "The #royalfamily aren't the best advocates for #MaternalMentalHealthAwarenessWeek," alongside a clip from Markle's interview with Winfrey.
—DoH stan (@AliciaJ1985) May 6, 2022
"Agreed Duchess Kate so when Meghan Markle was suicidal/needed mental health support during her
"Failed your own sister-in-law why would I believe you care about us? Practice What You Preach," she added.
—Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) May 6, 2022
One Twitter user, @unanka, wrote: "Charity begins at home," while another person, @Major_Houlihan, wrote: "Right. It's alright unless it's your family, in which case, protect the image at all costs."
It is not known if Markle spoke to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge directly about her struggles. Middleton and Prince William did not respond publicly to Markle's comments about mental health.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement after the Oprah interview that the issues raised in the interview were "taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."
Representatives for the Duchess of Cambridge declined to comment when contacted by Insider. Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.