The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced a donation to mental health charity Mind, days after it condemned Piers Morgan for his comments about Meghan’s mental health.
The couple’s Archewell Foundation named the British organisation among new causes it would be supporting, which also includes an online racial justice movement.
The donation to Mind came after the charity condemned Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan for saying he didn’t believe the Duchess had suffered suicidal thoughts, something she revealed during her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
On Monday 8 March, the day after the interview aired in the US and just hours after Morgan’s comments, Mind said: “We were disappointed and concerned to see Piers Morgan’s comments on not believing Meghan’s experiences about suicidal thoughts today.
“It’s vital that when people reach out for support or share their experiences of ill mental health that they are treated with dignity, respect and empathy. We are in conversations with ITV about this at the moment.”
Morgan quit the show on Tuesday 9 March after he was slammed by colleague Alex Beresford over his comments.
On Friday 12 March, Mind’s director of fundraising, Kathleen Miles announced the charity had received a donation from the Archewell Foundation.
She said: “We appreciate any donations – no matter how large or small, as they allow us to continue our vital work including helping to prevent suicides by providing information and support to anyone affected by poor mental health.
“Mental health problems can affect anybody, regardless of factors like age, gender, ethnic group or socioeconomic status.
“We’re grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Archewell Foundation for this support, which will help us continue to make sure everyone with a mental health problem gets both support and respect.”
The foundation also announced it would be providing support to Colour of Change, The PressPad Charitable Foundation and URL Media.
Colour of Change describes itself as the US’s “largest online racial justice organisation” and works across criminal justice, voting freedom and economic justice, adding: “We cannot end racism in one area without tackling it in all areas.”
The PressPad Charitable Foundation works to improve diversity within the media by “lowering the financial barrier for young people who want to become journalists”.
Social enterprise PressPad wrote on Twitter: “We are delighted to announce that we have just registered a sister charity, The PressPad Charitable Foundation, and are thrilled that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their Archewell Foundation will be among our first donors.
“We’re excited by such positive action after difficult yet important moments of reckoning for the UK media.
“We’re proud to say our values of action, compassion & community align with the Archewell Foundation. Thanks to everyone who spoke their truth.”
URL Media describes itself as a “multi-platform network of high-performing Black and Brown media organisations” and was launched in January.
On their website, they said: “As the US enters a new chapter, we offer an alternative to business as usual.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
