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Two other royals have spoken openly about miscarriage
Last week, Meghan Markle bravely let the world in on the pain she and husband Prince Harry have suffered after their second pregnancy ended in miscarriage earlier this year. Writing in the New York Times, in an essay titled 'The Losses We Share,' the Duchess of Sussex described the moment she realised she was losing her baby in July this year.
'I felt a sharp cramp. I dropped to the floor with [Archie] 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,' she wrote. 'I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second.'
Meghan speaking so openly about the loss of a baby, which - despite being more common than people might think - is often something women stay silent about. As baby loss awareness charity, Tommy's, told Cosmopolitan shortly after Meghan's essay was published: 'Mothers like Meghan sharing their stories is a vital step in breaking down that stigma and shame."'
And it seems that Meghan Markle isn't the only member of the royal family to have taken this step to open up a public dialogue about miscarriage. Zara Tindall, the Queen's eldest granddaughter, announced her second pregnancy in November 2016, almost three years after her first daughter, Mia, was born. But tragically, just a month later on Christmas Eve, Zara and her husband Mike Tindall shared the sad news that they had gone through a miscarriage.
'Very sadly, Zara and Mike Tindall have lost their baby. At this difficult time, we ask that everyone respects their privacy,' a spokeswoman for the couple said at the time.
In a later interview with the Sunday Times, Zara explained that although it had been hard to navigate such a painful experience in full public knowledge, it actually had a positive impact in starting some important conversations. 'Afterwards loads of people wrote to me and Mike to say they’d been through the same thing,' Zara said. |In our case, it was something that was really rare; it was nature saying, "This one’s not right." For me, the worst bit was that we had to tell everyone — everyone knew.'
In the same interview, Zara also disclosed that she had suffered a second miscarriage 'really early on' in another pregnancy, which was never shared with the public. 'You need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw but, as with everything, time’s a great healer,' she said, candidly. Zara and Mike Tindall went on to welcome their second daughter, Lena Elizabeth Tindall, in June 2018.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex - who's married to the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward - has also suffered baby loss, in the form of an ectopic pregnancy. Edward, the Earl of Wessex, spoke about the trauma of that while his wife was receiving life-saving surgery in relation to the pregnancy.
Speaking to reporters outside the hospital in 2001, Edward said: 'It's obviously a very traumatic time and my wife has ... It's quite the most painful thing that anyone can undergo.
'It's a pretty traumatic experience. As the pain reduces, so the relief will increase,' Edward continued, adding: 'I want to add my thanks to all the medical team who have done a fantastic job and reacted so quickly and have handled things so professionally.'
Edward and Sophie went on to have two children, welcoming Lady Louise Windsor in November 2003, and James, Viscount Severn, in December 2007.
Baby loss is not an easy thing to talk about, and it's not everyone feels that they want to disclose such personal pain. But for those who would benefit from opening up about their heartache, seeing women before them paving the way only serves to make that communication easier.
If you're looking for support or more information about premature births, stillbirths or miscarriage,Tommy's have a free helpline 0800 0147 800 (open 9 - 5, Monday to Friday). There's also a Facebook group.
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