UK lawmaker accuses Harry of "blowing up his family"
Ruling Conservative Party lawmaker Zac Goldsmith, who is the Minister for Pacific and the Environment at the Foreign Office, said Prince Harry was “blowing up his family” in a tweet on Monday.
The tweet also referenced a quote attributed to the Prince by unnamed sources in the British press.
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Meghan: My half-sister "changed her last name back to Markle" when I began dating Harry
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex depart Canada House in London on January 7, 2020.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Meghan told Oprah Winfrey that she was not close with her half-sister Samantha Markle, adding that Samantha “changed her last name back to Markle… only when I started dating Harry so I think that says enough.”
In the latest clip by CBS, Meghan said it would be hard for Samantha to write a tell-all book on her “when you don’t know me.”
“This is a very different situation than my dad.. when you talk about betrayal, betrayal comes from someone you have a relationship with,” Meghan said.
“I grew up as an only child… and I wished I had siblings,” she said, adding that the last time she saw Samantha was 18 years ago.
Samantha emerged around Meghan and Harry’s wedding in 2018, making headlines when she said their father, Thomas Markle, would not attend the wedding on Satu because of embarrassment over a series of staged photographs, which she encouraged him to take.
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UK Prime Minister declines to comment on the Harry and Meghan interview
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a press conference inside 10 Downing Street in London on March 8.
Hannah McKay/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declined to comment on whether Buckingham Palace should launch an investigation into allegations of racism following Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
He said he has spent a long time not commenting on royal family matters, and “I don’t intend on departing from that today.”
During the interview, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, listed a number of incidents, including an unnamed person in the institution who had “concerns” over how dark her son’s skin would be.
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"Rude & racist are not the same," says Meghan in new clip
During Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex said the palace did not protect her from the press in the same way as her sister-in-law Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
“Kate was called Waity Katie, waiting to marry William, while I imagine that was really hard and I do… this is not the same and if a member of his family will comfortably say: “we’ve all had to deal with things that are rude,”” she said.
And equally you’ve also had a press team who go on the record to defend you, especially when they know something is not true and that did not happen to us,” she said.
Winfrey as Harry if it would make a difference if his family acknowledged that Meghan’s treatment in the press was different because of race.
“Yeah it would make a huge difference,” he said. “There is a lot of people that have seen it for what it was.. a lot of people, like it is talked about across the world, yet the very people that don’t want to see it, or can’t see it, choose not to see it.”
Watch it here:
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CNN's royal correspondent explains why we will get the true response from the British public on Tuesday
From CNN's Max Foster
CNN's royal correspondent Max Foster speaks outside outside Windsor Palace in Windsor, England, on March 8.
CNN
Unlike the US press, the British media, especially the tabloids, are more cynical about Prince Harry and Meghan, and are “broadly sympathetic to the palace’s view,” CNN’s royal correspondent Max Foster said Monday following a morning of furious tabloid headlines in the UK.
But to get the true measure of the British public’s reaction to the Oprah Winfrey interview, we will have to wait until Tuesday, he said. The full interview is airing for the first time in the UK on Monday night.
“But the palace is going to have to respond in some kind of way I think. They had a policy of not giving a running policy on the Oprah interview, but the allegations are huge and seismic … I don’t know how they can avoid it,” he said.
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Meghan and Harry interview forces racial reckoning in British press
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, view the media as they walk through the Andalusian Gardens in Rabat, Morocco on February 25, 2019.
Facundo Arrizabalaga/Pool/Getty Images
The relationship between the British press and the Sussexes was tumultuous from the start, and the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey has reignited a heated debate about the media’s handling of race.
But British media personalities and commentators hit back on Monday morning, accusing the pair of disrespecting the monarchy
“This is not necessarily just about color, it is about character and anyone like me who is White, privileged and well educated is not able to say anything without it being viewed as racist,” royal biographer Anna Pasternak told the BBC, before falsely stating that White people were a minority in the UK. “We are a White minority now a days and we are silenced from speaking our truth because then it’s immediately labelled as racist.”
Television personality Piers Morgan said on Twitter that the Winfrey interview “was just another reminder that anyone who criticises Meghan Markle is automatically deemed a racist bully.”
He brought up bullying allegations made against Meghan in the British media, which cited unnamed royal aides days before the Winfrey interview aired Sunday. “When she bullies her female staff or spray-guns her husband’s family on global TV, it’s a cry for help from a poor victim,” Morgan added.
CNN polling in 2020 revealed a stark disconnect between how White and Black people in Britain perceive racism in the UK press.
The poll found that Black Britons are three times more likely than White ones to say Black celebrities were treated worse than White counterparts by the British media – a frequent topic of debate around Meghan, who is mixed race.
Half (50%) of White people said Black celebrities were treated no better or worse by the media than White ones, while only one in five (21%) Black people said that. Roughly half (48%) of Black people said Black celebrities were treated worse than their White counterparts, compared to only 16% of White people, CNN’s poll found.
In 2019, a BBC radio broadcaster was fired after posting a racist tweet about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new baby. The tweet included a black and white photo of a man and woman holding hands with a chimpanzee in a suit and a top hat, with the caption, “Royal baby leaves hospital.”
During her interview with Winfrey, Meghan discussed the different standards applied to her and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Winfrey contrasted media coverage of Meghan and Kate eating avocados during their pregnancies. For Kate, it was said to be helping with morning sickness. However, for Meghan, avocados became a fruit linked to water shortages and “environmental devastation.”
How Meghan and Harry's interview could be a bigger crisis for the monarchy than Diana's
From CNN's Max Foster and Lauren Said-Moorhouse
“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Meghan’s powerfully honest admission in her conversation with Oprah is likely to be as explosive as Princess Diana’s sit-down with the BBC’s Martin Bashir back in 1995 — which helped spark a crisis that took the monarchy years to recover from.
The Duchess of Sussex’s words could potentially be even more seismic than the late Princess of Wales’s because the questions she raises are harder for the palace to answer.
For Meghan, the feelings of loneliness and isolation that drove her to suicidal thoughts were only compounded when, in her last months of pregnancy, she was told their newborn would not be given a title. Being a prince or princess was of little consequence to the couple — except that that withholding a title meant their child wouldn’t have the security that comes with it.
The Queen and Prince Philip were not part of the conversation about Archie's skin tone, Harry told Oprah
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wait for a carriage at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, on October 12, 2018.
Alastair Grant/AFP/Getty Images
In an interview on CBS on Monday, Oprah Winfrey said Harry told her that the Queen and Prince Philip did not take part in conversations about Archie’s skin tone.
Meghan told Winfrey during their blockbuster interview that there had been several conversations within the royal family about how dark their unborn baby Archie’s skin would be while she was pregnant.
Winfrey, speaking on CBS This Morning to anchor Gayle King, said Harry had told her “it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather that were part of those conversations.”
Winfrey added that Harry did not reveal the identity of the family member who had made the comments.
“He didn’t tell me who were a part of those conversations. As you can see I tried to get that on camera and off,” she said.
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In new CBS clip, Harry says racism was a "large part" of why he and Meghan left Britain
Prince Harry said racism played a “large part” in why he and Meghan left the UK, according to a new clip of the Oprah Winfrey interview published by CBS on Monday.
He goes on to recount an anecdote at a fundraiser where an unnamed person who had close links to a lot of British newspaper editors told Harry that the press would destroy the lives of him and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
When he said the man to elaborate, the person told Harry: “You need to understand the UK is very bigoted.”
Harry disagreed with the man’s statement but added, “unfortunately, if the source of information is inherently corrupt or racist or biased, then that filters out to the rest of society.”
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Will the Sussexes' interview cause a bigger crisis for the palace than Princess Diana's 1995 tell-all?
From CNN's Max Foster
The stream of revelations from the Sussexes to Oprah Winfrey could cause a bigger crisis for the monarchy than an explosive interview Princess Diana gave to the BBC a quarter of a century ago, CNN’s royal correspondent Max Foster said Monday.
In 1995, Diana participated in an explosive interview for the BBC’s Panorama program. She had separated from Prince Charles three years prior, and Charles had sensationally admitted to having an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles (now his wife) after years of tabloid speculation in a documentary released in 1994. But it was Diana’s simple utterance “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded” that turned her sit-down interview into of the most-watched moments in UK broadcasting history.
“This for many people was built as Meghan’s Diana interview,” Foster said, adding that Diana’s interview with “caused a crisis in the monarchy which lasted years this [the Winfrey interview] could potentially do the same, it could potentially be even worse.”
Foster said the palace could not deny Meghan’s experience of racism, making it “an incredible difficult situation for them to be.” Furthermore, there is a duty of care issue. “There was a suicidal member of the family who wasn’t supported, even went to the HR department, and they said they couldn’t help,” he said in reference to Meghan’s comments about her mental health during her time as a royal.
“These are major allegations against the royal family and the palace because they weren’t just talking about the palace here, they were talking about family members,” Foster said in reference to Meghan said that an unnamed member of the institution had “concerns” about the skin color of her son.
“She’s accusing them of institutional racism and that’s a massive accusation and it feels really real when you watch the two hours. It’s a very powerful interview.”
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It's 7.30 a.m. in New York and 12.30 p.m. in London. Here's what you need to know:
Handout/Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese
For American audiences just waking up, or British viewers on a lunch break, here’s what you need to know about Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey and the fallout in the UK.
On suicidal thoughts: Meghan said that life within the royal family was so isolating, lonely, and lacking in support that she had experienced suicidal thoughts. When Winfrey asked if she had been driven to the verge of suicide, Meghan replied, “Yes.”
She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she eventually told Harry because “I knew that if I didn’t say it, that I would do it, and I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Meghan said.
Harry added that after she confided in him, he, too, had been in “a very dark place” – but wanted to be there to support his wife.
On their children: The couple dropped two bombshells about their children: First, and most shocking, that in the royal institution there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark (Archie’s) skin might be when he was born,” said Meghan. Harry confirmed the conversation, but declined to reveal who had posed those questions, or any other details about the exchange.
On a happier note, Harry and Meghan also revealed they are expecting a daughter this summer.
On conflicts with the royal family: Meghan told Winfrey that though she had been welcomed by the Queen and other members of the family, she was given little guidance or support – when she began having suicidal thoughts and asked for help, they told her no.
She also denied rumors that she had made Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, cry during her royal wedding. In fact, it was the other way around – a disagreement with Kate had made Meghan cry, she said, adding that Kate has apologized and the issue has been resolved.
Harry spoke about his own tensions with his family; his father, Prince Charles, stopped taking his calls while the couple prepared to step away from the royal family.
Charles has since started taking his calls again. “I will always love him,” Harry said. “I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”
On being trapped and saved: Harry said that he had also been trapped within the system – but he hadn’t known it until he met and married Meghan. In that way, she saved him, he said.
But Meghan turned it around on him. “You made a decision that certainly saved my life –and saved all of us,” she told Harry, referring to the decision to step away from the royal family.
Calls for investigation: An official from Britain’s opposition Labour Party said Buckingham Palace should launch an investigation into allegations of racism made in the interview.
She told Sky News that “if there are allegations of racism, I would expect them to be treated by the Palace with the upmost seriousness and fully investigated.”
Vicky Ford, the UK Minister for Children, said there was no place for racism in British society.
Meghan and Harry’s "first chance to really say what they feel"
From CNN's Max Foster
Harry and Meghan pictured as they arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 9, 2020.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Sunday’s interview with Oprah Winfrey was Prince Harry and Meghan’s “first chance to really say what they feel,” CNN’s royal correspondent Max Foster said Monday, citing sources close to the pair.
He adds that while there are “some grey areas” on some of the things said in the interview, Meghan’s experience of racism will change a few opinions when the British public sit down to watch the UK broadcast of the interview on Monday night.
“But ultimately you can’t argue particularly on Meghan’s experience of race, you can’t argue with that, that is genuine, it’s real and I think they are going to see that tonight and it may change a few opinions,” he said.
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Buckingham Palace should launch an investigation on any allegations of racism, says opposition
From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite
Buckingham Palace is pictured in London on March 1.
Kate Green/Getty Images
A lawmaker in Britain’s opposition Labour party said Monday that Buckingham Palace should launch an investigation into allegations of racism following Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
During the interview, Megan listed a number of incidents, including an unnamed individual in the institution who had “concerns” over how dark her son’s skin would be.
Kate Green, UK shadow education secretary, told British broadcaster Sky News Monday that “if there are allegations of racism, I would expect them to be treated by the Palace with the upmost seriousness and fully investigated.”
When asked if this interview demands a response from the Palace, Green said: “I’m sure the Palace will be thinking very carefully about that and I certainly think people will be wondering what is going to be said but there’s never any excuse in any circumstances for racism and I think it is important that action is taken to investigate what are really shocking allegations.”
Queen's former press secretary says Oprah interview has raised 'family issues' but denies racism
From Chloe Adams in Glasgow
Handout/Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have raised “issues that need to be looked at carefully,” Charles Anson, a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth said, while insisting there “wasn’t a strand of racism” within the royal household.
Speaking to BBC on Monday, he recalled an “overwhelming sense of welcome” for Meghan around the time of their wedding in 2018, which he covered as a royal commentator.
Charles Anson, former press officer for Queen Elizabeth II, is pictured in Munich, Germany, in 2015.
Sven Hoppe/dpa/picture alliance/Getty Images
During the wide-ranging interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry said his father, Prince Charles, had stopped taking his calls at one point.
When questioned over a potential rift with Prince Charles, Anson said he was under the impression that the family had parted on good terms.
Meghan told Winfrey that she was provided with no mental health support. Anson defended the Palace to the BBC, saying he understood there was a robust medical structure within the house to deal with such issues.
“I remember it being very responsive both to the members of staff and, of course, for the queen and members of the family,” he told the BBC.
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'No place for racism in our society,' says UK Minister for Children
From Sharon Braithwaite in Pisa, Italy
MP Vicky Ford is seen in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions in December 2018.
House of Commons/PA Images/Getty Images
Vicky Ford, the UK Minister for Children, said Monday there was no place for racism in society, after Meghan and Harry raised the issue during a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“I haven’t seen the full interview so I will not comment on it, but just to reaffirm, there is absolutely no place for racism in our society. And we all need to work together to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Ford told British broadcaster Sky News Monday.
During the interview, Meghan revealed their son Archie wouldn’t receive a title or security, and within the royal family, there were several “concerns and conversations about how dark (Archie’s) skin might be when he was born.”
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If you're just tuning in, here's what you need to know
Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions
For audiences just tuning in, or British viewers just waking up, here’s what you need to know about Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
On suicidal thoughts: Meghan said that life within the royal family was so isolating, lonely, and lacking in support that she had experienced suicidal thoughts. When Winfrey asked if she had been driven to the verge of suicide, Meghan replied, “Yes.”
She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she eventually told Harry because “I knew that if I didn’t say it, that I would do it, and I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Meghan said.
Harry added that after she confided in him, he, too, had been in “a very dark place” – but wanted to be there to support his wife.
On their children: The couple dropped two bombshells about their children: First, and most shocking, that in the royal institution there had been “concerns and conversations about how dark (Archie’s) skin might be when he was born,” said Meghan. Harry confirmed the conversation, but declined to reveal who had posed those questions, or any other details about the exchange.
On a happier note, Harry and Meghan also revealed they are expecting a daughter this summer.
On conflicts with the royal family: Meghan told Winfrey that though she had been welcomed by the Queen and other members of the family, she was given little guidance or support – when she began having suicidal thoughts and asked for help, they told her no.
She also denied rumors that she had made Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, cry during her royal wedding. In fact, it was the other way around – a disagreement with Kate had made Meghan cry, she said, adding that Kate has apologized and the issue has been resolved.
Harry spoke about his own tensions with his family; his father, Prince Charles, stopped taking his calls while the couple prepared to step away from the royal family.
Charles has since started taking his calls again. “I will always love him,” Harry said. “I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”
On being trapped and saved: Harry said that he had also been trapped within the system – but he hadn’t known it until he met and married Meghan. In that way, she saved him, he said.
But Meghan turned it around on him. “You made a decision that certainly saved my life –and saved all of us,” she told Harry, referring to the decision to step away from the royal family.
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Britain wakes up to an online furor after Meghan and Harry's interview
It’s been a furious few hours since Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, and social media has been alight with criticism toward the royal family – largely from outraged Americans and the Black community.
Now, Britain is waking up to the aftermath.
All eyes are on the royal family, which has not yet publicly responded to the interview, or the allegations of racism. It had also adhered to its usual protocol of silence ahead of the broadcast, even as speculation and anticipation rose.
Some viewers in the United States have suggested that given Harry and Meghan’s previous negative experiences with the press, they may continue to face attacks for the statements they made – and for even doing the interview in the first place.
Even before the sun had risen over London, British tabloids already began speculating about the potential fallout. The Sun newspaper wrote that Meghan may “never return to Britain after angering Royal Family,” citing unnamed “insiders [who] fear she and Prince Harry could have burnt their bridges.”
And numerous conservative figures in the UK have begun to echo several of the points Jerkins brought up, with some casting doubt on the apparent sincerity of Meghan’s comments.
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Tabloids target Meghan hours after she accused British press of double standards
From CNN's Michelle Toh
British tabloids hit back at Meghan after her interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday night, with some focusing on her allegations about concerns of Archie’s skin color.
“MEGHAN ACCUSES PALACE OF RACISM,” read the front page of Monday’s edition of the Daily Mail. While other news outlets used images provided by Harpo Productions, Winfrey’s production company, the Daily Mail chose a closely cropped image focused on Meghan’s face.
The deluge of stories on the Daily Mail homepage follows a dismissive pre-interview banner headline earlier on Sunday, in which the outlet attempted to lambast the CBS special as “a sideshow.”
“Meghan Markle may never return to Britain after angering Royal Family with bombshell Oprah interview,” The Sun newspaper wrote, referring to Meghan’s name before marriage. It cited “insiders [who] fear she and Prince Harry could have burnt their bridges by failing to tell family members what was in the two-hour chat before it was shown.”
Harry and Meghan push back: Both the duke and duchess have increasingly opened up about the harsh media scrutiny they have received.
Last month, Prince Harry told late night talk show host James Corden that his experiences had prompted him to take a step back from the royal family. And in April of last year, Harry and Meghan said they would cut off all dealings with four of the United Kingdom’s biggest tabloid newspapers after years of strained relations.
In the interview, Meghan said it had become painfully clear that there were double standards in how the media covered her and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge and wife to Prince William, who is second in the line of succession to the British throne.
"Self-serving": UK media tabloids attempt to hit back at Meghan and Harry
From CNN's Michelle Toh
British tabloids are hammering Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband Prince Harry after their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan revealed during the sit-down conversation that life within the royal family was so lonely and lacking in support that she had experienced suicidal thoughts. She also said that individuals within the institution had raised concerns about the color of their son Archie’s skin.
Even before the interview, the UK media had been criticizing the event. The relationship between the couple and the country’s press, and particularly newspaper tabloids, has long been tumultuous.
Another article on the website ripped into the couple’s discussion during the interview about life in the United States, where they are raising chickens. “Back to basics at their $14.5 million mansion,” read one headline.
“Queen: Duty and family unite us,” read the front page of the Daily Express newspaper. “That’s public service for you, Harry and Meghan … NOT a self-serving TV chat with Oprah.”
Even ahead of the program, British tabloids came armed for the occasion, which was among the biggest royal interviews in decades.
On Monday, the Daily Mirror’s print edition will point to Princes “Charles & William’s ‘immense sadness’” amid “Oprah interview fallout,” Sky News reported.
Striking parallels between Princess Diana and Meghan's experiences, says royal commentator
Princess Diana at a banquet in New Zealand on April 20, 1983.
Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images
Kate Williams, a UK-based historian and royal expert, told CNN that Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah showed stark similarities with Princess Diana’s experience.
Harry drew these similarities too, saying in the interview that he couldn’t imagine what his mother had gone through and that he didn’t want history to repeat itself.
“Diana, too, suffered as well at the hands of the press. She was criticized, she was attacked, both before and after the divorce,” said Williams. “She talked about how she wanted to speak up and make her decisions and her voice clear.”
The couple had revealed in the interview that the royal institution had withdrawn their security, and that their son Archie would also be denied security because he didn’t receive a title. Security was a major source of concern for the couple – Meghan said she had written letters to the royal family, pleading them to provide her husband security.
“Harry of course, he was so young when she died, and he knew that she didn’t have her security after her divorce – which for him, I think, added to her tragic death,” said Williams.
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Extraordinary tell-all interview lifts lid on life inside Britain's royal family
In her first public comments since she and her husband Prince Harry announced their plans to step back from senior roles in the British royal family, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, described herself as the victim of an image-obsessed Buckingham Palace, which weighed in on everything from how dark her son Archie’s skin color would be to how often she went to lunch with friends.
The TV special was highly anticipated because Harry and Meghan are now allowed to speak more freely about the royal family due to their effective split from the palace.
Whatever magic is left in the House of Windsor today, after “The Crown,” may not survive Sunday night’s airing of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan told Winfrey that the royal family, aka “The Firm,” was “perpetuating falsehoods” against her. Her words evoked memories of the tension between Buckingham Palace and the late Princess Diana in the 1990s.
The palace announced Wednesday that it was investigating accusations that the duchess had bullied employees in the royal household and that it was “very concerned.” After the investigation was reported, Holly Thomas noted, “Meghan’s spokesman said the duchess was ‘saddened by this latest attack on her character,’ and a spokesperson for the Sussexes dismissed the Times report as ‘a calculated smear campaign.’”
Amanda Gorman and Bernice King among Black women standing up for Meghan
Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman speaks during the inauguration of US President Joe Biden on the West Front of the US Capitol on January 20 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Members of the Black community – and especially Black women – are making themselves heard on social media in the aftermath of Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah.
Many reminded viewers that the racism Meghan faced is a daily reality for the community. Others praised Harry for admitting his own ignorance and privilege regarding racial prejudice, and standing by his wife in the face of public vitriol.
“I’m grateful that Meghan Markle is still here,” she added in a series of separate tweets. “We can know racism exists in an institution and still hurt for someone who was hurt by it.”
22-year-old Amanda Gorman, who recited her poem at Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration, tweeted in support of Meghan as well.
In her inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb,” Gorman confronted America’s racist history and ongoing conflicts head-on.
“We the successors of a country and a time / Where a skinny Black girl / Descended from slaves and raised by a single mother / Can dream of becoming president / Only to find herself reciting for one,” she read.
“We are striving to forge a union with purpose / To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.”
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Serena Williams decries the "sexism and racism" that Meghan faced
Tennis player Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian arrive for the wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and actress Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018.
Ian West/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
American tennis star Serena Williams tweeted a statement about her good friend Meghan after the Oprah Winfrey interview, expressing support and anger for what the Duchess of Sussex has had to face.
“Meghan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life – and leads by example – with empathy and compassion,” Williams wrote, referring to Meghan by her full name before she was married. “She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced.”
“I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect,” she added.
The tennis phenom and the Duchess of Sussex are close friends, having met a few years ago at a charity event. Meghan has attended the US Open to cheer on Williams, and Williams co-hosted a baby shower for Meghan in 2019 when she was pregnant with Archie.
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Meghan spoke out about race. America responds
CBS
In their interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry and Meghan alleged that their son Archie’s race had been a concern in the royal institution, with conversations about “how dark” his skin would be.
During the interview, Harry also spoke about how Meghan’s biracial background made it a uniquely challenging situation. Everybody in the royal family lives under a certain amount of pressure – but it was “far more dangerous” for Meghan due to her race, he said.
The allegations sparked outrage almost immediately on social media among Americans, with countless posts expressing sympathy for the couple and criticism for the royal family’s response to the crisis.
“Meghan is living the life Diana should have, if only those around her had been as brave as she was. Meghan isn’t living a life without pain, but a life without a prison,” tweeted Amanda Gorman, America’s youngest inaugural poet. “Meghan was the Crown’s greatest opportunity for change, regeneration, and reconciliation in a new era. They didn’t just maltreat her light–they missed out on it.”
Kizzmekia Corbett, a viral immunologist at the National Institutes of Health, tweeted that she wanted to give Meghan a hug. “My heart just breaks for her,” she wrote. “Protect. Black. Women.”
The revelations come half a year after last summer’s racial reckoning, sparked by the Black Lives Matter protests which turned the spotlight onto a variety of historical injustices.
In Britain, protests centered on symbols tied to the country’s colonial past, with demonstrators toppling a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in the city of Bristol. However, the royal family, which sits at the summit of the British class system, had largely escaped the type of scrutiny applied to other institutions.
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Prince Harry and Meghan continue to draw from Princess Diana's influence
Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese
The late Princess Diana has remained a strong influence in the life of son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, as was evident throughout their interview with Oprah Winfrey.
When the couple revealed that the royal family had cut them off financially for stepping back from their royal duties, Harry also said he relied on his inheritance from Princess Diana.
Meghan appeared to pay tribute to Princess Diana by wearing a sparking diamond bracelet once owned by her late mother-in-law.
When the Duchess of Sussex revealed that she was struggling with suicidal thoughts, she said she turned to one of Princess Diana’s best friends:
“I didn’t know who to even turn to in that. And one of the people that I reached out to, who’s continued to be a friend and confidant, was one of … Diana’s best friends. Because it’s like, who else could understand what it’s actually like on the inside?” she told Winfrey.
Harry has also frequently explained his decision to leave the royal family out of his worry of “history repeating itself,” referring to Princess Diana’s troubles within the family.
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Here are the biggest revelations from Harry and Meghan's interview
Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese
Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese
Oprah Winfrey’s broadcast interview with Harry and Meghan has ended. Here are the biggest takeaways:
Meghan’s suicidal thoughts: She revealed that life within the royal family was so isolating, lonely, and lacking in support that she had experienced suicidal thoughts. She told Harry because “I knew that if I didn’t say it, that I would do it – and I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Archie’s race: The couple’s son, Archie, wouldn’t receive a title or security, Meghan revealed – and within the royal family, there were several “concerns and conversations about how dark (Archie’s) skin might be when he was born.” Harry confirmed these conversations – but added that he would never share details about them.
It’s a girl! The couple, sitting side by side, revealed that they are expecting a girl in the summer.
The royal wedding: They had gotten married three days before the glamorous royal wedding, Meghan said – and the vows from that private wedding are framed in their home.
Trapped without knowing: Harry said that, like Meghan, he had also been trapped within the system – but he hadn’t known it. He added that his brother and father were also trapped, and that the royal institution was a stifling environment.
Harry and his family: Harry revealed that his father, Prince Charles, had stopped taking his calls while the couple transitioned into their new roles after stepping away from the royal family. Charles has since started taking his calls again. Harry expressed his love for his brother, Prince William, but their relationship is experiencing some “space” at the moment.
Meghan and the royal family: She had been welcomed into the royal family, and said the Queen had been wonderful and welcoming – but beyond that, there was nearly no guidance or support. She wasn’t allowed to leave the house for months due to concerns regarding optics. When she finally expressed her battered mental health and asked the institution for help, she says she was told no.
Meghan and Kate: Meghan denied the rumors that she had made Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, cry during her royal wedding. In fact, it was the other way around – a disagreement with Kate had made Meghan cry, she said. Kate has apologized and the issue has been resolved – but the public attacks had been hard to bear with no way of speaking the truth, said Meghan.
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Harry on relationship with Prince William: "Time heals all things"
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend the opening of the Greenhouse Sports Centre on April 26, 2018 in London.
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Harry had said earlier in the interview with Oprah Winfrey that he loves his brother Prince William “to bits,” despite frequent rumors and speculation of sibling conflict.
He also said that though his father, Prince Charles, had stopped taking his calls for a while during the exit process, they are now speaking again.
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Meghan on Harry's support in stepping back from royal family: "He saved all of us"
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex look at each other during the JLR Drive Day at Cockatoo Island on October 20, 2018 in Sydney.
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After Harry said earlier in the interview that he had been trapped in the system without knowing it, Oprah Winfrey asked if Meghan – and her role in his life – had saved him.
“Yeah, without question,” Harry replied. “There was a bigger purpose, there were other forces at play, throughout this whole process … it’s undeniable when these things have happened, where the overlap is. She did, without question, she saved me.”
Meghan, sitting beside him, said it was a “lovely” sentiment, but disagreed.
“I think he saved all of us,” she told Winfrey. “He ultimately called it, and was like, we’ve got to find a way for us, for Archie.”
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Life after leaving the royal family includes walks on the beach and bike rides with Archie
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit Redwoods Tree Walk on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand.
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Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that the past year of freedom has offered new gifts – especially quality time with his son Archie.
As they bike, Archie likes to stick out his arms and point out scenery passing by, Harry said, mimicking his son: “Palm tree? House?”
Archie’s favorite word has been “hydrate” in the past few weeks, Meghan added. And whenever anyone leaves the house, Archie will say, “Drive safe!”
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Meghan says her relationship with Harry is "greater than any fairytale you've ever read"
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive to Edinburgh Castle on February 13, 2018 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
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Meghan is now looking forward to life after the royal family. This is “just the beginning for us,” she said of their new life in America.
When asked by Oprah Winfrey if her story with the Prince has a happy ending, Meghan answered unequivocally.
“[It’s] greater than any fairytale you’ve ever read.”
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Meghan's one regret: "Believing them when they said I would be protected"
The Royal Family as they all attend the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 11, 2019.
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When Oprah Winfrey asked if Harry and Meghan had any regrets, they had slightly different answers.
“No,” Harry replied. “I’m really proud of us. I’m so proud of my wife. She safely delivered Archie during a period of time that was so cruel and so mean. Every day I was coming home to Meghan crying and breastfeeding Archie … We did what we had to do.”
Meghan chimed in that she had one regret: “Believing them when they said I would be protected.”
That was a false promise, but “I wasn’t supposed to see it, I wasn’t supposed to know it,” she said. “And now, because we’re actually on the other side, we’ve actually not just survived but (are) thriving … it’s a miracle.”
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Meghan wears Princess Diana's diamond bracelet during Oprah interview
From CNN Style's Oscar Holland
Diana, Princess of Wales at the Christie's pre-auction party for the launch of the auction of dresses in 1997.
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Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, appeared to pay tribute to Princess Diana by wearing a piece of her jewelry during the interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Reportedly by French luxury brand Cartier, the item was worn in public by Harry’s mother, Diana, several times prior to her death.
Harry is thought to have taken stones from the very same bracelet to produce the engagement ring he proposed to Megan with in 2017.
It’s not the first time that Meghan has worn the bracelet, having appeared to have done so at a royal tour in 2018. She also wore a ring owned by Harry’s mother before her wedding reception.
The topic of jewelry came up in the much-anticipated interview, with Meghan revealing that the Queen had given her a gift of pearl earrings and a matching necklace on their first joint engagement.
The royal family cut Harry off financially in the first quarter of 2020
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a reception to mark the 50th Anniversary of the investiture of The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in London on March 5, 2019.
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Prince Harry revealed that the royal family cut him off after he and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced that they would be stepping back from official royal duties.
The couple’s recent deals with Netflix and Spotify were “never part of the plan” when they split from the family, he said. However, it happened after they were cut off from the family financially.
They initially relied on what Princess Diana had left for Harry.
“I’ve got all my mum left me. And without that, we would not have been able to do this,” he said. “She saw it coming and I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process.”
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Harry: "I am never going to share" conversation with royal family about Archie's race
Prince Harry and Meghan are with their son Archie at St George's Hall in Windsor, England, on May 8, 2019.
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Oprah Winfrey asked Prince Harry about the conversations he’d had with the royal family about Archie when Meghan was pregnant with him – and about concerns surrounding his race.
When Winfrey asked if he could share the questions posed during the conversation, he declined, saying “I’m not comfortable with sharing that.”
“But it was right at the beginning,” he added. “What will the kids look like? That was at the beginning when she wasn’t going to get security, when my family suggested that she might continue acting (because there wasn’t going to be money for her).”
Winfrey then asked: If you had had more support, would you still be there? “Without question,” Harry responded. But “I know and I’m comfortable in knowing that we did everything we could to make it work.”
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Diana would feel "angry" says Harry of how things have turned out
Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William gather for the commemorations of VJ Day, 19 August 1995, in London.
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Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey that his mother, Princess Diana, would have been “very sad” about the couple’s decision to step back from the royal family.
“I think she would feel very angry with how this has panned out, and very sad. But ultimately, all she’d ever want is for us to be happy,” Harry said.
“I think she saw it coming. I certainly felt her presence throughout this whole process. I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side,” he said. “Because I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her, going through this process by herself all those years ago.”
“It has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we had each other,” he said, sitting next to Meghan in an outdoor set.
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Royal family never challenged the "colonial undertones" in the media's coverage of Meghan, Harry says
Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace in London on January 16, 2020.
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Prince Harry said the royal family missed several opportunities to support Meghan and call the British press out on its negative coverage of the Duchess of Sussex.
He added: “But I also am acutely aware of where my family stand and how scared they are of the tabloids turning on them.”
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"I just wanted to make them proud" says Meghan
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England.
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Meghan told Oprah Winfrey that she had left everything to join the royal family, and just wanted to make them proud – even though she received little to no guidance or instruction.
But “there was no guidance,” she said. “There were certain things you couldn’t do, but (unlike the movies) there was no class on how to speak, how to cross your legs, how to be royal.”
She didn’t even know the British national anthem, and nobody in the royal institution thought to teach or show it to her, she said. “That was me Googling late at night … we were doing the training behind the scenes because I wanted to make them proud.”
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"I was trapped but I didn't know I was trapped," says Harry
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit the University of the South Pacific on October 24, 2018 in Suva, Fiji.
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When asked if he would have stepped back if not for Meghan, Harry replied no.
“I myself was trapped as well. I didn’t see a way out. I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped,” he said.
When Oprah Winfrey asked how a prince born into privilege could have been trapped, he replied, “Trapped within the system, like the rest of my family are. My father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave, and I have huge compassion for that.”
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Harry "went to a very dark place" after Meghan confided that she didn't want to live anymore
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex speaks during a visit to The Silverstone Experience at Silverstone on March 6, 2020 in Northampton, England.
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When Meghan told Harry that she didn’t want to live anymore, “I was terrified,” Harry told Oprah Winfrey.
At first, he didn’t tell the family that she needed help – it’s not a conversation easily had in the institution, he said. And, he added, “I guess I was ashamed of admitting it to them – I don’t know if they’ve had the same feelings or thoughts. I have no idea.”
It’s a stifling environment, and “I didn’t have anywhere to turn to,” he added. “For the family, they very much have this mentality of, this is just how it is, you can’t change it, we’ve all been through it.”
“But what was different for me was the race element – it wasn’t just about her, it was about what she represents,” he said. “So it’s not just affecting my wife, but affecting so many other people as well.”
That’s what pushed him to discuss the issue with the royal family and warn them that “this isn’t going to end well,” Harry said.
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Harry says his father, Prince Charles, stopped taking his calls
Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales applaud while attending the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting at Fishmongers Hall on February 14, 2018 in London, England.
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Prince Harry discussed his relationship with his father, Prince Charles, following his move to Canada in early 2020.
Before the couple’s public announcement of their stepping back from the royal family, Harry said he had had three conversations with the Queen and two conversations with his father, who is next in line to the British throne, “before he stopped taking my calls,” Harry added.
His father asked him to put it in writing, which Harry did – including specifics like the date they planned to make the announcement
When Oprah Winfrey asked why Prince Charles stopped taking his calls, Harry took a long pause.
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I had to walk "in her shoes" to understand the prejudice she faced, says Harry
Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan walk down the stairs of the iconic Opera House to meet people on October 16, 2018.
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Prince Harry said he had to walk in Meghan’s shoes to understand the scrutiny and bias she faced as a woman of color.
“I’ve spent many years doing the work and doing my own learning. But then my upbringing and the system, in which I was brought up in, and what I’ve been exposed to, I wasn’t aware of it to start with. But my God, it doesn’t take very long to suddenly become aware of it,” he said of racial issues.
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Prince Harry: "I was desperate" to stop history repeating itself, but received "no help at all"
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a township to learn about Youth Employment Services on October 2, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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After Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back from the royal family, they were told while in California that they would lose their security, the couple revealed in their interview with Oprah Winfrey.
It was due to their “change in status,” they said – though the royal institution admitted that there was no change in the level of threat they faced.
“We’re in a lot of pain, you can’t provide us with the help we need,” Meghan added.
He clarified that by “history,” he was referring to his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, while being pursued by the paparazzi.
“When you see something happening in the same kind of a way, anyone would ask for help … especially when you know there’s a relationship there, they could help you share the truth, call off the dogs, whatever you want to call it,” he said.
But instead, they received “no help at all.”
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Meghan and Harry are expecting a girl this summer
Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England.
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Meghan and Harry revealed in their sit-down with Oprah Winfrey that they are expecting a baby girl.
The baby is due in the summer, Meghan said.
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Meghan ends her one-on-one segment: "I'm still standing" and "life is worth living"
In this handout image released on March 5, Oprah Winfrey interviews Meghan Markle.
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Oprah Winfrey ended her one-on-one segment with Meghan by asking how she felt about sharing her truth publicly, and whether she was afraid of backlash.
“If that comes with a risk of losing things, there’s a lot that’s been lost already,” she added. “I’ve lost my father, I lost a baby, I nearly lost my name, there’s the loss of identity. But I’m still standing, and my hope for people in the takeaway from this, is to know that there’s another side – to know that life is worth living.”
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Meghan didn't have access to her passport, driver's license or keys when she joined the royal family
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Cirque du Soleil Premiere Of "TOTEM" at Royal Albert Hall on January 16, 2019 in London, England.
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Until she moved away from her royal duties, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she felt trapped and didn’t have her passport, driver’s license or keys.
“When I joined that family, that was the last time – until we came here – that I saw my passport, my driver’s license, my keys. All that gets turned over. I didn’t see any of that anymore,” she told Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan said she was struggling with the intense pressure and scrutiny and she did not receive help from the royal institution even when she asked to be checked into an institution or seek professional help.
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"I didn't want to be alive anymore," Meghan says of life in the royal family
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys, on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia.
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Meghan revealed in her interview with Oprah Winfrey that life in the royal family had driven her to suicidal thoughts.
When Winfrey asked if there had been a breaking point, Meghan said yes. “I just didn’t see a solution. I would sit up at night, like, I don’t understand how all of this is being churned out,” she said. “My mom and my friends (were) calling me crying saying, ‘Meg, they’re not protecting you.’”
“It was all happening just because I was breathing,” she said.
She went to human resources as well to plead her case for leaving or seeking help, and though they expressed sympathy, they told her there was nothing they could do because she wasn’t a paid member of the institution, she was family.
“The way you’re describing this, you’re trapped and couldn’t get help, even though you’re on the verge of suicide. That’s what you are describing, that’s what I’m hearing,” said Winfrey.
“Yes,” Meghan replied. “That’s the truth.”
“I share this because there’s so many people who are afraid to voice that they need help, and I know how hard it is not just to voice it but to be told no,” she said.
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The royal institution did not help when the "real character assassination" began, Meghan says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate on December 25, 2018 in King's Lynn, England.
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Meghan said the stories about her making Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, cry were “the beginning of a real character assassination” and the royal institution did not publicly challenge it, despite knowing it was false.
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Royal institution had concerns about "how dark" Archie's skin might be, Meghan said
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor during a photo call in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019 in Windsor, England.
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When Winfrey asked why Meghan thought the royal family didn’t want to give Archie a title or security, she revealed that race had been a concern within the institution.
There were several “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born,” she said.
The family had had those conversations with Harry, which were then related back to her, Meghan said. She declined to reveal who was involved with those conversations.
“That would be very damaging to them,” she said.
During her tours and visits to the Commonwealth, she saw “how much it meant to them to be able to see someone who looked like them in this position. And I could never understand how it couldn’t be seen as an added benefit, and a reflection of the world today.”
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Harry and Meghan's baby, Archie, won't receive security from royal institution
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, holds her son Archie in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 25, 2019.
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When Meghan was pregnant with her son Archie, she was shocked to be told by the royal institution that he wouldn’t be made a prince and thus wouldn’t receive security.
“This went on for the last few months of our pregnancy, where I’m going, hold on a second … he needs to be safe,” she said. “We have created this monster machine (of clickbait and tabloids), you’ve allowed this to happen, which means we need to be safe.”
She didn’t have much of an attachment to titles – but it’s different if those titles might affect Archie’s safety, she said.
“While I was pregnant, they wanted to change the convention, for Archie. Why?” she said. “There’s no explanation.”
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"That's a loaded piece of toast" says Meghan of media's scrutiny of her diet
Britain's Prince Harry's fiancée Meghan Markle gestures during a visit to Reprezent 107.3FM community radio station in Brixton, south west London on January 9, 2018.
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During her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan discussed the different standards applied to her and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge – and how glaringly obvious it becomes when you examine media headlines.
When Kate was photographed cradling her baby bump, she was praised as a doting expectant mother – but when Meghan was photographed doing the same, British media accused her of “pride or vanity.”
Winfrey contrasted media coverage of Meghan and Kate eating avocados during their pregnancies. For Kate, it was said to be helping with morning sickness. However, for Meghan, avocados became a fruit linked to water shortages and “environmental devastation.”
“You have to laugh at a certain point because it’s just ridiculous,” Meghan said. “That’s a loaded piece of toast,” she added.
She said she didn’t know why there was a difference in standards for her and Kate.
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Life in royal family was deeply lonely, Meghan says
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equitation Sports on February 25, 2019 in Rabat, Morocco.
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Life in the royal family was deeply lonely and isolating, and she had little freedom, said Meghan.
She wasn’t even allowed to go out for lunch with friends sometimes because she was too heavily covered in the media, she said.
She was told to lay low – but she hadn’t even left the house in months, she said.
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Meghan says she was silenced and wasn't protected by the royal institution
Queen Elizabeth II is greeted with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as they arrive by Royal Train at Runcorn Station to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England.
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In her interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that she had been silenced after she got married and joined the royal family.
It was only when she joined the institution that she understood she “wasn’t being protected,” she said.
“They were willing to lie to protect other members of the family, but they weren’t willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband,” she said.
She added that she had been welcomed into the family, and that the family members are different from “the people running the institution.”
“The Queen has always been wonderful to me,” she said. On their first joint engagement, the Queen gave her a gift of pearl earrings and a matching necklace. In the car between engagements, the Queen had a blanket across her knees for warmth – and “she said, ‘Meghan, come on,’ and put it across my knees as well,” said Meghan. “It made me think of my grandma as well.”
This post has been amended to clarify Meghan’s statement on the protection offered by the royal family.
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Meghan had to quickly learn to curtsy before her first meeting with the Queen
Meghan Markle curtsies as she sees off Britain's Queen Elizabeth II leaving after the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on December 25, 2017.
Before she met the Queen for the first time, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said she was taught to curtsy.
“I thought genuinely that that was what happens outside, I thought that was part of the fanfare. I didn’t think that’s what happens inside. And I said, ‘But it’s your grandmother.’ [Harry] goes, ‘It’s the Queen,’” she told Oprah Winfrey in the interview.
“That was really the first moment that the penny dropped,” she added.
She said she practiced it quickly with Harry before the meeting and did a “very deep curtsy” in front of the Queen.
“We just sat there and we chatted. And it was lovely and easy,” she said of their first meeting.
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Meghan addresses rumors of dispute with Kate
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend Wimbledon in London on July 13, 2019.
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In her one-on-one interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan addressed the rumors that she had made Prince William’s partner, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, cry during her wedding preparations.
The rumor had made headlines and sparked public hostility – but it wasn’t true, said Meghan. In fact, it was the other way around – Meghan had been the one in tears.
“A few days before the wedding she was upset about something pertaining to flower girl dresses. It made me cry, it really hurt my feelings,” she said.
She added that “There was no confrontation,” and that she has forgiven the Duchess of Cambridge, who is known as Kate. She is “a good person,” said Meghan.
“I don’t think it’s fair to her to get into the details of that, because she’s apologized,” she said – but the hard part was being publicly and relentlessly “blamed for something I didn’t do, but happened to me.”
“Everyone in the institution knew it wasn’t true,” she said – the institution being the royal family. When Winfrey asked why nobody had spoken up, Meghan replied, “That’s a good question.”
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Meghan and Harry got married three days before the royal wedding
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand together during their wedding at St George's Chapel in Windsor, England, on May 19, 2018.
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Meghan and Harry got married three days before the royal wedding that captured the world’s attention, Meghan revealed on her interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The vows framed in their home shows the two of them during their private wedding, Meghan said.
Life now in their new home has been “really fulfilling,” she added – the couple has been able to focus on “getting back down to basics.”
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Life in the royal family: "You're being judged on the perception of it, but you're living with the reality"
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave from the Ascot Landau Carriage during their carriage procession on the Long Walk as they head back towards Windsor Castle in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 after their wedding ceremony.
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, started her interview with Oprah Winfrey by discussing her wedding day and what it was like to enter the royal family.
The wedding was an “out of body experience,” she said. She had woken up that morning, listened to the “Going to the Chapel” song – but all the while, she and Harry were aware that “this wasn’t our day – this was the day that was planned for the world.”
“I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family,” she said. “It wasn’t part of conversation at home it wasn’t something we followed … I didn’t do any research. I’ve never looked up my husband online,” she said.
“I didn’t fully understand what the job was, what does it mean to be a working royal?” she added. “But I think, there was no way to understand what the day to day was.
She didn’t know much about the British royals beforehand, she said – her mother didn’t even know about Princess Diana’s bombshell interview. “What do you know about the royals? It’s what you read in fairy tales,” Meghan said.
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Why Harry and Meghan stepped away from the Royal Family
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend Commonwealth Day Service in London on March 9, 2020.
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Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced they were stepping back from their roles as senior royals in January 2020, explaining on Instagram that they hoped to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution.”
Under the terms brokered by the palace, the couple had to step back from their royal duties, including military appointments and would no longer represent the Queen. The arrangement – which would go into effect in the spring – also saw them drop the titles His and Her Royal Highness and they would no longer receive funds for royal duties.
He added, “What I want to make clear is we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren’t walking away from you. Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.”
Hints of unhappiness in court documents: Meghan disclosed in court documents from her successful invasion of privacy case that she felt “unprotected” by the monarchy during her first pregnancy, in the face of “a large number of false and damaging articles.”
The legal documents were the first time Meghan had publicly indicated her unhappiness at the support Palace staff were providing to her. More specifically it disclosed a hint of her frustration at the royal protocol not to respond to speculative media reports.
Move to Los Angeles: As the end of the one-year transition period drew closer, friction reignited between the Sussexes now based in Los Angeles and the royals back home in the United Kingdom.
It was announced that Harry and Meghan had agreed with the Queen that they would not be returning as working members of the family. As a result, their honorary military appointments and royal patronages were revoked and would be redistributed.
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NOW: The broadcast of Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah starts
Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan is airing now on CBS.
Viewers in the United States can watch the interview on CBS broadcast stations or online at CBS.com.
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A once-in-a-generation challenge for the Palace
From CNN's Rob Picheta
Buckingham Palace in London on January 14.
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By the time the sun rises in the UK on Monday, the public will have a new perspective from Harry and Meghan, the former senior royals, on the machinations of the palace.
This week has already seen a frenzy of stories citing unnamed sources and royal commentators but the Palace has adhered to its usual protocol of silence in the face of the speculative reporting surrounding the broadcast.
It did, however, announce Wednesday it would investigate allegations that Meghan bullied members of staff, claims made anonymously in a British newspaper that the Sussexes’ spokesperson dismissed as “a calculated smear campaign.”
The more keenly anticipated TV special falls at an already fraught time for the royals, with Prince Philip, the Queen’s 99-year-old husband, spending a third week in hospital, having undergone a heart procedure on Thursday.
But the royals likely know from history the impact the televised spectacle could have. The palace encounters a bombshell TV tell-all roughly once a generation; a 1970 interview with the abdicated King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson posed problems for the Palace, 25 years before Princess Diana’s “Panorama” confessional was watched by tens of millions in Britain.
In this handout image released on March 5, Oprah Winfrey interviews Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/Getty Images
The primetime event of the couple’s Oprah interview threatens to lift the lid on a litany of frustrations and grievances held by the couple against the institution they quit last year.
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have fought multiple legal cases against publications and photo agencies that had printed details of their private lives.
Earlier this year Meghan won a privacy claim against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday after they published a letter she sent her father, and launched a stinging rebuke to “dehumanizing” media organizations after the verdict, saying the “damage they have done and continue to do runs deep.”
The door was closed on a potential return for the pair as working royals earlier this year.
But even that announcement was shrouded in tension; Harry and Meghan’s statement that “service is universal” was widely seen as a rebuke of the Palace’s framing of events, after the Queen confirmed that “in stepping away from the work of the Royal Family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”
