Meghan Markle first encouraged Prince Harry to speak about his mental health years ago

'I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions'

Earlier this week, the Duchess of Sussex visited the Luminary Bakery in Camden, one of the organisations she continues to support in her royal role.

The bakeries offer training, employment and all-important support for disadvantaged women affected by issues including violence, poverty and homelessness.

In an article for the Telegraph documenting her time with Meghan at the social enterprise, Bryony Gordon revealed it was the duchess who first encouraged Harry to open up in the memorable episode of her podcast.

'I first met Meghan Markle eighteen months ago shortly before she married Prince Harry,' she wrote. '[...] when people asked me afterwards what she was like, I felt disappointed to have to answer honestly that she was really not that different from the rest of us.

'It was Meghan who had encouraged her then boyfriend to do the podcast about his mental health with me, and I felt we were on the same wave-length.'

Prince Harry appeared on Bryony's podcast Bryony Gordon's Mad World in 2017, opening up about his experience with grief following the death of his mother.

'I can safely say that losing my mother at 12 and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years has had quite a serious effect on not only my personal life but also my work as well,' he said at the time.

'My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help?'

He continued: 'I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and sort of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle.'

The prince also revealed that he had, like so many people, had counselling – which was something of a landmark moment for the normalisation of seeking support for mental health struggles.

'I've done that a couple of times, more than a couple of times, but it's great.'