Prince Harry, Meghan Markle felt ‘helpless’ after moving to Los Angeles amid COVID-19 pandemic

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a surprise move to Los Angeles at the end of March, and it’s safe to say they picked the worst time to upend their lives. I mean, it’s always a good time to leave the royal family if you were as mistreated as Meghan and Harry were, but coronavirus definitely isn’t making this transition easy for them.

According to recent People reports, they “felt helpless reading about everything going on and wanted to get out and contribute” and now “only leave their house for charity work.”

Before Meghan and Harry stepped back from their @SussexRoyal Instagram account, they posted a prompt that encouraged their followers to express how they feel and to check in with their emotional well-being.

View this post on Instagram

With everything going on, it’s a lot to take in. Many of us may feel confused. Or alone, or anxious or scared…and in isolation, some of us may just feel bored, or that you don’t know what to do with yourself without your normal routine. It’s perfectly normal to be feeling any of these things. Our emotional well-being is challenged everyday whether we realise it or not, but our lives are usually filled with distractions. Now with constantly changing COVID coverage, we are all adjusting to this new normal and the feelings that come with it. But here’s the good thing (because right now we need to hear good things, right?): Yes, there is isolation and physical distancing, but there doesn’t have to be loneliness. There are resources that can help us all through this process, and ways that YOU can become one of those resources. @crisistextline @giveusashoutinsta @kidshelpphone and CTL Ireland are organisations that need new volunteers now more than ever and have an open door for you to get the support you need. • – If you’re home and feeling bored, you can digitally train to be a counselor and HELP someone who really needs your support! What an amazing way to use this time • – If you feel alone, overwhelmed, depressed, or anxious, you can text one of these lines and talk it through. • – If you are in an abusive relationship and now find yourself in isolation with your abuser, these counselors are there for you. You do not need to suffer in silence. And for those of you who don’t feel comfortable texting with a stranger, reach out to your friends, family and colleagues. Phone calls and video conferencing are such a great way to feel more connected – ask if they’re okay, tell them how you’re (actually) feeling, and use this time to really listen for the answer. If there is someone you know and are worried about, your text may be the thing that saves their life.

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Mar 20, 2020 at 8:57am PDT

But although they may have initially felt “helpless,” the couple seems to have found their groove, and Meghan is reportedly taking this as an opportunity “to show Harry Los Angeles through the eyes of philanthropy.”

One of their recent charitable acts involved touring the Project Angel Food facility before they began assisting with food deliveries. The charity’s executive director told People, “They were interested in every single person they met” and added:

“They asked a lot of questions about the clients, about how the food is done, and how much food is made. We talked about how the meals are medically tailored and geared toward each client, they met with our chefs, and then we gave them all our social distancing protocols for the deliveries and they wore gloves and masks and they kept six feet away.”

It seems like the philanthropic couple are finding their footing quite well.