On International Women's Day, Serena lends support to Meghan Markle

Following Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams paid tribute to her close friend in a tweet posted on Monday, standing in solidarity with “the pain and cruelty” suffered by the Duchess of Sussex.

In the bombshell interview, Markle shed light on the racism faced from within the royal family—which she referred to as the “institution.” The 39-year-old, who is biracial, revealed that while pregnant with first son Archie, she was privy to troubling “conversations” about Archie’s potential skin color.

"In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time—so we have in tandem the conversation of 'he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title,' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."

She revealed that the continuous assault by the British media drove her to thoughts of suicide. A victim of “character assassination,” she said that the pressure was too much, leading down to a dark hole of despair.

“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Markle said. “And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought. I thought it would have solved everything for everyone.”

What was more troubling about this revelation was Markle’s claim that she was denied mental health assistant by “the institution” when she did become suicidal.

She was seven months pregnant at the time.

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“I said that I needed to go somewhere to get help and said that I’ve never felt this way before, and I need to go somewhere,” Meghan recalled. “And I was told that I couldn’t, that it wouldn’t be good for the institution. They said, ‘My heart goes out to you, but there’s nothing we can do to protect you because you’re not a paid employee of the institution.’”

A guest at the Duke and the Duchess’ 2018 wedding, Serena lent her support to Markle, denouncing “tabloid journalism.”

“I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us,” Serena wrote. “We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism.

“The mental health consequences of systematic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.”

Markle and Prince Harry, who revealed they’re expecting a baby girl this summer, stepped down from royal duties in 2020.

“I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter, and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect,” Serena wrote.