Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has described how she and Prince Harry were left "heartbroken" after she suffered a miscarriage while pregnant with their second baby.
The duchess revealed in an essay for the New York Times that she "felt a sharp cramp" while getting her son Archie ready one morning in July and soon afterwards she was admitted to hospital, where it was confirmed she had lost her second child.
Meghan, who married Prince Harry in 2018, did not say how far along she was in her pregnancy or what the sex of the baby was.
In the piece she wrote, "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. Staring at the cold white walls, my eyes glazed over. I tried to imagine how we'd heal".
"Sitting in (the) hospital bed, watching my husband's heart break as he tried to hold the shattered pieces of mine, I realised that the only way to begin to heal is to first ask, 'Are you OK?'"
At the end of the piece, where she also addressed the tragedies that others have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, she urged people to ask how their family and friends are feeling as "we are more connected than ever" this year.
Meghan said she hoped the piece would help challenge the "unwarranted shame" surrounding the issue.
"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. Yet despite the staggering commonality of this pain, the conversation remains taboo, riddled with (unwarranted) shame, and perpetuating a cycle of solitary mourning.
According to PA news agency, a source said there was "understandable sadness" within the royal family at the disclosure.
A spokesperson for Clarence House, which represents Prince Harry's father and mother-in-law Prince Charles and Camilla, declined to comment, saying it was a "private matter".
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace, which represents Harry's brother Prince William and Kate, also declined to comment.
Prince Harry's uncle Charles Spencer, who is the brother of Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana, said it was "so very, very sad" to hear about the miscarriage.
Speaking as a guest on the British talk show Lorraine hosted by Lorraine Kelly, the earl said: "I can't imagine the agony for any couple of losing a child in this way."
The duke and duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals earlier this year to start a new life overseas.
As a result of their resignation, they are no longer called his royal highness and her royal highness but are only referred to as the duke and duchess of Sussex.
The couple are now living in California with their one-year-old son Archie.
Up to one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage in Australia, and most happen in the first 12 weeks.
Each day in Australia, 282 women report pregnancy loss before 20 weeks gestation, and one in three pregnant women over the age of 35 will experience pregnancy loss.
If this story has raised issues for you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact: (miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support) on 1300 072 637 or the on (02) 9557 9070
