Meghan Markle, 39, revealed she suffered a miscarriage, losing her second child during the summer. In an article for the New York Times, Meghan wrote about losing her unborn baby in July while she and her husband Prince Harry were living in Los Angeles. The former spokesman for the Queen, Dickie Arbiter, said her personal story will be a “wake-up call to dads”.
Speaking to Nine News Australia, Mr Arbiter said: “The fact that Meghan has gone public is no bad thing.
“It will teach people to understand.
“It’s probably a wake-up call to dads to understand as well the emotional impact.”
The Duchess began her article by describing a typical morning getting up and looking after her son Archie: “After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp.
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“I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.
“I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.
“Hours later, I lay in a hospital bed, holding my husband’s hand. I felt the clamminess of his palm and kissed his knuckles, wet from both our tears.
“Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we’d heal.”
The Countess of Wessex lost her first baby in December 2001 when she was airlifted to hospital after suffering a potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.
An estimated one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage according to the charity Tommy’s, which funds research into miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births, with most women losing their babies during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Sophie King, a midwife from Tommy’s, said the Duchess’s article sent a “powerful message” to others who have experienced the loss of a baby.
She said: “Meghan’s essay praises the bravery of parents who share their stories, and those who prefer to grieve privately can still find comfort and connection in reading about others’ experiences.
“Her honesty and openness today send a powerful message to anyone who loses a baby: this may feel incredibly lonely, but you are not alone. Friends and family, doctors and midwives, all of us at support organisations like Tommy’s; we’re here.”
