Social Media Users Claim Kate Middleton Got More Support For Dog Loss Than Meghan For Miscarriage

Nov 28, 2020 by apost team

Meghan Markle, 39, lost her second child with Prince Harry in July following a miscarriage, she revealed in a piece she wrote for the New York Times. The world has since reacted to the news, with many commending Markle for her bravery in sharing her loss, praising it as a milestone for women who suffer the same tragedy in silence. As the conversation on Social Media continues, many are claiming that Kate Middleton and Prince William received more support from the public when she announced her dog passed away a few days before Markle's article was published. 

The piece, titled The Losses We Share, featured a raw account of Meghan Markle's harrowing experience coupled with her dissatisfaction that, although many women suffer miscarriages, the conversation around it remains taboo. What started as a typical summer day, filled with the average parent's errands and responsibilities, took a dark turn soon after changing son Archie's diaper.

"I felt a sharp cramp," Markle wrote. "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."

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On Sunday, November 22nd, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took to Instagram to announce the sad news that their black cocker spaniel Lupo, whom they adopted in 2012, had passed away the weekend prior: "Very sadly last weekend our dear dog, Lupo, passed away. He has been at the heart of our family for the past nine years and we will miss him so much. - W & C," they wrote. 

Their post attracted many comments filled with support and condolences for the family – something, many social media users point out, that bears a stark contrast to the public reaction to Markle's announcement of her miscarriage. 

"People showed more sympathy for William and Kate for losing a dog than for Meghan for losing a baby," one person tweeted. Many have also since accused Markle of "seeking attention" with her article, although the former actress does point out in her article that by sharing her experience, she hopes to encourage others to be open about their grief as well. 

"In the pain of our loss, my husband and I discovered that in a room of 100 women, 10 to 20 of them will have suffered from miscarriage," Markle wrote. "Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning."

The public reaction is reminiscent of the scrutiny Markle would come under – and often still does – from British tabloids, which prompted her and her husband to take legal action last year.

"I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person," Prince Harry said in a powerful statement at the time. "I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."

Markle's piece is yet another instance of the former actress breaking away from Royal tradition. While Markle is not the first Royal to suffer the "unbearable grief" of losing a miscarriage, she is the first to candidly speak of the experience in public. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, miscarried at six weeks pregnant back in 2001 while Zara Tindall, Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, miscarried twice. The Royal family generally shies away from sharing personal details or becoming emotional in public, with Queen Elizabeth not once in her 68-year reign speaking of her private life in an interview. 

The move is not unprecedented for Markle. Last year, in a documentary that followed her and her husband on their Royal tour in Africa, journalist Tom Bradby asked Markle if she was "OK," to which she gave a strikingly honest reply: "Any woman, especially when they're pregnant, you're really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it's a lot," Markle said. Meghan's conversation with the reporter became especially raw when he asked if it was fair to say that she wasn't really that OK, and if it has been a struggle, to which she responded, "Yes."

Markle recalled this encounter, as well as its importance, in her NYT essay: "Are you OK?" a journalist asked me. I answered him honestly, not knowing that what I said would resonate with so many — new moms and older ones, and anyone who had, in their own way, been silently suffering," Markle wrote. "My off-the-cuff reply seemed to give people permission to speak their truth. But it wasn't responding honestly that helped me most, it was the question itself." With her piece, Markle hopes to encourage other people to open up about their losses as well: "This year has brought so many of us to our breaking points," she wrote. "So, this Thanksgiving, let us commit to asking others, 'Are you OK?'"

Do you agree that Meghan Markle has once again come under unwarranted scrutiny for her honest NYT article? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!