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Prince Harry 'supported by William and Charles' after wife Meghan's miscarriage

Entertainment
 Meghan has said she wants to break the taboo around discussing miscarriages (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Prince Harry was supported through Meghan's miscarriage by William and Charles, it has been claimed.

The Duke of Sussex, 36, is said to have been able to reach out to his older brother and dad as he grieved over the loss of his unborn second child.

In a candid essay published in the New York Times, the duchess, 39, described lying in a hospital bed in July "watching my husband's heart break" before asking him: "Are you okay?"

The couple - who stepped down as senior royals in March - secretly moved into an £11million mansion in the secluded Montecito area of Santa Barbara in the same month as Meghan's miscarriage.

A rift between William and Harry has been widely speculated to have developed in recent years, but reports suggest the Duke of Cambridge set any differences aside to support his mourning younger sibling.

Bereavement experts said Meghan's revelation sent a powerful message to other mothers, and would help break the stigma around what is often an "invisible loss".

The Queen, 94, and Royal Family were said to be united in their grief for Harry and Meghan. A palace insider said: “There is, of course, much understandable sadness in the family.”

Sophie King, a midwife at the charity Tommy’s, paid tribute to Meghan’s bravery for sharing her story.

She said: “One in four pregnancies ends in loss, but it’s a real taboo in society, so mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a vital step in breaking down that stigma and shame.

“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.”

 Meghan described the miscarriage in an essay for the New York Times (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)

In the article, Meghan told how she had felt a sharp pain while caring for their 17-month-old son Archie.

She wrote: “After changing his diaper, I felt a sharp cramp.

“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."

By speaking out, she said she hoped to break the cycle of “solitary mourning”.

She wrote: “Losing a child means carrying an almost unbearable grief, experienced by many but talked about by few. 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.

 arry and Meghan urged Americans to vote in the recent presidential election (Image: ABC)

“Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with [unwarranted] shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.”

Following Meghan’s story, Dr Christine Ekechi of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said it was important to break the taboo around the devastating impact of miscarriage.

She said: “Sadly, early miscarriages are very common and they can be a devastating loss for parents and their families. It is important we remove any stigma or shame surrounding this issue and adequately support families at this time.”

Clea Harmer, chief executive of stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, said: "Many people simply don’t know what to say when a baby has died.

"And because it is an ‘invisible’ loss many mothers go through miscarriage and may never reveal what happened to even their family or closest friends."

Other royals have experienced the loss of an unborn baby. Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall had two miscarriages before having her second child.

Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, lost her first baby in 2001, when she was airlifted to hospital with a potentially life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.

Meghan is said to have spoken out now because it had taken the couple time to process their loss.

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